The Origin of Magic
by TheFallenNinja
Summary: A continuation of the Sorenson's story with a slight twist on the world and where magic comes from. It will continue if I get feedback.
1. Chapter 1

After the battle at Zzyzx.

Kendra is 16, Seth is 14.

Seth is about to be initiated into the Knights of the Dawn, he has been training with Warren but not the Sphinx who said he would begin once he was a Knight.

The Knights have been tracking an unusual amount of magic energy in the form of a swirling storm cloud in Asia. It hasn't done anything or grown until recently when it has become almost angry. It is slowly getting larger as it feeds off the energy of animals, plants and magic surrounding it but so far not humans or higher intelligent beings. The Sorenson's are called upon in the hope that Kendra's powers can do something as nothing else has worked or been able to touch it.

Technology is starting to be used alongside the traditional magical means. Scans show that there is a concentrated source in the center. The storm is about 2 miles long and several hundred feet tall at this point. It is growing steadily at about 2 feet per minute.

The team consists of Kendra, Bracken, Warren, Stan, a few other knights, and Seth who demanded not to be left out this time and Warren thought it would be good training. They get there and suit up, the area has been scouted and it's perfectly safe for people to go in. Seth is told to say behind but he slips away from camp and follows the group.

To Kendra and Bracken the storm feels as if it is a mass of demon magic holding its breath. Seth feels strangely connected to it. As they near the center the wind picks up inside and thunder rumbles from the clouds above. They see a dark orb floating a few feet off the ground. The wind is furiously spinning around it while it glows with a dark light, pulsing and giving off some kind of dark energy. A figure miraculously stands just a few feet away from it despite the severity of the wind. It is a tall, dark, thin figure. At about 100 yards the team has to shout to hear each other but the figure seems to hear them and turns. He is a very pale, albino white, almost glowing in the dark. His face and head is hairless and his eyes are dark and sunken into his skull. He smiles and sharp rows of teeth flash. Raising his arm his mouth with his palm parallel to the ground his unearthly voice seems to pierce through the wind.

Brackens pulls out his horn and makes to stand in front of Kendra as the ground everywhere erupts with masses of dirt like creatures. To Seth they look like small versions of Hugo but uglier. Shouting at her to run Bracken's pearly horn transforms into a shining sword. Warren and the other Knights draw their weapons and begin to defend against the horde of dirt monsters. Seth, who had stayed back out of sight, draws into the dark and slowly shadow walks towards the dark figure. He wants to help the team but knows they can take care of themselves and maybe if he took out the guy who called the monsters they wouldn't be so angry at him for following them.

As he draws near he falls to his hands and knees to fight the wind. It whistles past so furiously that his eyes watered and his skin rippled. Slowly slinking around the side of the man he attempted to come at him from behind. As he did so he stood up fighting to stand. Drawing his short adamantine sword Seth swung at the man with all his might. Watching the blade flash towards his back he was already picturing the praise he would get from the others. His dreams were interrupted when the man turned and grabbed the edge of the blade faster then Seth could blink. His mind confused and too slow to react, he could only watch as in one fluid motion the man wrenched his sword out of Seth's grip and grabbed his throat with the other. Inhuman strength lifted Seth off the ground and pulled him closer to the creature's face.

Seth gasped for air, his legs kicking and arms grabbing at its hands but to no avail.

Drawing Seth closer to its face the creature once again smiled. Seth could see that although it looked human from a distance it was far from it. White waxy skin stretched across a skull so tightly it was almost translucent. It's eyes were completely black and sunken so deep they seemed to almost disappear. Behind its sharpened teeth a forked tongue flitted hungrily as if it was tasting the air. Hearing a shout from behind it the creature turned still holding Seth as if he were nothing but a cloth doll in the hands of a child. Bracken, a little banged up with a cut above one eye, was attempting to run towards the creature. The others were still fighting as the dirt monsters continued to burst from the ground. No matter how many they took down another replaced it just as fast. Warren was swinging his sword with a furious vengeance, trying to protect a fallen Knight that Kendra was desperately trying to heal. The other two Knights were fighting just as hard, one firing black cross bolts that burst into purple flames when they hit while the other was wielding a spear made entirely of ice.

Bracken managed to break through the monsters and came at the creature with a shout of anger. His sword seemed to fly through the wind with ease but faster than light the creature dodged and pulled a long black sword out, presumably from his cloak, to block. At this point the lack of oxygen was starting to cause Seth's vision to go black. He continued to grasp feebly at the hand holding him but his strength was going weak and he felt much like a fish stuck on a line in the hands of a fisherman. Was this how he was going to go out? After surviving much worse he was going to die in the hand of this hairless weirdo with no respect for personal space or mouthwash?

Bracken whirled around, trying to land a single blow on the guy but no matter how fast he moved or what technique he tried nothing hit. It was as if the creature could sense his moves before he made them. The pale thing was hardly using his sword, he was just dancing around Bracken's attacks and smiling while he did it! Breathing hard and fighting against the ever growing wind Bracken watched as Seth's hands stopped fighting and his eyes closed. Knowing he was running out of time to save the boy's life he made an attempt to lunge at the creature. As it dodged his sword he summoned his other horn and swung it around anticipating where the creature would be. Calling on his magic the horn flashed a brilliant light directly into its face. A piercing inhuman shriek filled the air as the creature dropped Seth and stumbled back, shielding its burned eyes with its arms. Bracken immediately ran to Seth and was relieved when he saw him coughing and trying to sit up.

Glancing around quickly he saw the creature glaring at him, gone was the mad smile. Now it was angry, it had been hurt, it would destroy him.

Readying himself Bracken summoned his power again. Unwilling to underestimate him again the creature raised its deathly black sword and rushed at him with a fury.

Kendra managed to stabilize the Knight who had been knocked unconscious by a stony fist. Looking around she could see the dire situation. They were completely unprepared and had no back up. Who was this pale man and what did he want with this evil storm. As she moved to draw her bow and help the others she noticed the number of dirt monsters had gone down. Why had they stopped coming? Were they winning? "Kendra!" Warren shouted as he sliced a dirt monster in two, "Get to Seth and Bracken! They need your help more than we do! We have this!"

Seth? What was he doing here? Glancing towards the orb Kendra saw Bracken in a furious battle with the pale creature and Seth sitting on the ground. Running towards her brother she felt the wind surging, pushing her back. She watched as Seth shakily got up and started running to her. "What are you doing here?" She screamed over the wind. Seth attempted to answer but stopped and shook his head, pointing at his throat. Kendra saw it was a deep purple and black as if it had been crushed. She grabbed his arm and gestured towards Bracken. "We need to help him!" Seth shook his head and pointed at the creature. As Kendra watched she felt a sense of awe and helplessness. The battle was amazing, the creature was a flash of black and white dancing around Bracken, it seemed as if he were simply toying with him. Yet amazingly the longer she watched the more she saw that Bracken was holding his own. He had even managed to put a tear in the creature's coat and seemed to be slowly gaining the upper hand. This was not a fight she could help with.

However as she stood there Seth suddenly surged forward. She watched almost in slow motion as he ran towards the battle. Her scream died in the wind as she watched her brother run into certain death.

Seth watched the fight closely. He knew he couldn't take on the creature by himself and if he jumped in he would almost certainly just get in the way. Yet as he stood there he felt almost a stillness come over him. It felt like he was drawing some kind of power from the very air and his senses were heightened. The battle almost seemed to slow for him and as he watched he suddenly jumped forward. Bracken was facing away from him and Seth could see the creature's left hand reach behind it. He knew before he saw it that it was a danger for Bracken. Running as fast as he could and without thinking he jumped past Bracken grabbing the creature's right arm. As he did so he felt an unbelievable burning in his right side. The creature growled in anger and Bracken quickly reacted by cutting its arm off that Seth had jumped onto.

Another piercing shriek and the creature stumbled back again, a bloody dagger clutched in its remaining hand, its severed stump dripping with a dark substance.. The creature again screamed at Bracken but this time it continued moving back, drawing its dirt monsters with it. It faded into the darkening cloud and the ground became still again as the monsters left.

Bracken immediately dropped down and turned Seth over. The wound was incredibly deep and by the looks of it the dagger had been poisoned. He hadn't seen it coming, Seth had somehow known and took the deadly blow for him. Watching as the boy grew pale and began shaking he drew upon the last of his energy and attempted to pull the poison out. Feeling Kendra as she dropped to her knees beside him and placed her hand on his shoulder he drew magic from her. Pleading with Seth to stay alive and feeling hot tears drip down his face Bracken worked with all his might. He was so concentrated on his task that he didn't notice the others come up until Warren knelt next to him. "The storm Bracken, its getting worse!" Warren shouted. Looking up for just a moment Bracken saw beams of heavy lightning striking the ground in a random pattern.

Whenever they struck the remains of a dirt monster the body was sucked up into the cloud as a wave of ash. The wind shrieked angrily and the thunder boomed enough to shake the very ground. "Bracken we need to get everyone out of here it's too dangerous!" Glancing over at Kendra's face he saw her grief, her brother was dying in his arms but he needed her to live too. "Get Kendra and the others out first, I'll bring Seth as soon as I can stabilize him!" He shouted back. Warren looked at him and Bracken knew he didn't believe him but he was willing to save as many as he could. Nodding he grabbed Kendra's arms and dragged her away as the others carried the injured Knight and followed.

The moment her touch was gone Bracken felt a huge decrease in energy. He felt Seth's life sipping away. The wound was too deep, having punctured what felt like something important and his magic too low Bracken knew it was no good. Watching the last bit of color fade from his face and his shaking slowly stopping, it ended. Bracken felt his heart break for the boy who had become his friend and saved his life. Looking up at the swirling storm cloud Bracken prayed that Seth's soul would find peace. Pausing to catch his breath and calm his shaking arms he reached for Seth's body. He was not going to leave him here to become part of this demon magic. The moment he touched him however a bolt of lightning struck the body. The current surged into Bracken's right arm and he screamed in agony.

Barely managing to tear his arm away he fell back and felt everything go dark. It must have been only a few seconds because he woke up to Warren shouting his name and shaking him. Peering up through blurry eyes he watched as Warren struggled to help him stand. The pain in his arm was immense. Like a cold fire burning and spreading up his arm. Fighting with everything he struggled to block the burn to just his arm. Warren looped Bracken's other arm over his shoulder and began to drag him out. Getting a bit used to the pain Bracken struggled to help him and the two began to sort of run/limp away. Looking back for just a moment Bracken was shocked to see Seth's body lying there but could not remember why that would be surprising. Whispering "I'm sorry my friend, I failed you." He began to fight back tears as they struggled to make it out. "The storm is growing faster and more violent!" Warren explained. Lightning exploded around them and the winded pushed them every which way. Fighting hard the managed to stumble only a few times and finally broke through the thick clouds. Daylight erupted around them but they couldn't stop. The storm continued to expand.

Meeting up with the group they all climbed into the rented jeeps and took off. Bracken took a moment to glance at his arm and had to swallow some bile. It looked dead. Blackened and shriveled all the way up to his elbow while the skin past was red and inflamed. He couldn't move his hand and anything it touched caused incredible pain. Kendra gently placed her hand on his shoulder and looked at him with eyes wide. He shook his head, "I'm sorry, there wasn't anything I could do...He...he's g...gone." Choking back tears Bracken felt Kendra lean her head on him and silently cry with him. That journey home was torture. Everyone wrapped up in their own grief.

Telling her parents and grandparents was the hardest thing she ever had to do. The funeral was small and quiet, they used the same plot that Kendra's fake had been buried in. It rained that day but eventually the sun came out again. As did their happiness. Grieving was over and life was to be returned to. Another party was sent to report on the storm but when they got there it was gone. The land was stripped of all signs of life and the energy itself was gone. As was Seth's body, no trace was found, it was presumed that the storm had absorbed it.

Kendra went on to finish high school and get a college degree in teaching. She had always loved kids and wanted to help their futures be bright. Midway through her schooling the offer came up to become an eternal. The Knights thought her skills would allow her to protect herself. It was a hard decision, thinking about life without most of her friends and family and always losing those she was close to. But when Warren accepted the offer as well and Bracken finally proposed she accepted. They were married in the spring and what seemed like the entire fairy court came. A day full of happiness but also a sadness when she thought of Seth not being there. Her parents were very accepting of Bracken but a little hesitant on the magic side of his family. And life continued to move forward. Kendra never forgot her brother and visited his grave each year but she came to a peace about it. 12 years passed and though as a Sorenson she was used to surprises, she never imagined the event that would set off another journey on that warm fall afternoon.

—-

Seth was on fire. This was worse than getting shot in the Mesa Sanctuary or being mauled by Graulus. This pain didn't fade but continue to grow with every second. Starting with his throat and connecting with whatever the creature had stabbed him with Seth wanted to scream. He wanted to die, every fiber of his being was telling him to let go and let it end but he couldn't. Something was pulling him and forcing him awake. It was a bright light that also burned him but he couldn't recognize what it was. He wanted to plead with who ever was holding him here to let him go, just let the agony end. Seth felt like he was slipping into insanity from the pain when suddenly the light was gone and replace with what felt like a sucking force. It seemed to want to draw his very essence out.

As it did so the pain seemed to go with it, he felt calm at first. Maybe he could just let this force take him away, let it deal with his suffering. As he was ready to surrender himself Seth heard a voice. It was a gruff voice but so familiar and comforting that he paused. Cracking his eyes open he looked over and saw a figure standing above him, glowing faintly. "Seth." It called, "Don't give up so easily boy, you're stronger than this." At this Seth had a flash of recognition. A body trapped under a beam in a broken house, pleading with him not to give up. Coulter? How could he be here, he died in an accident Seth had never forgiven himself for. "Come on boy, fight back. It isn't over yet and your family needs your help!" The ghostly figure kneeled down. Seth tried to speak but his crushed throat wouldn't allow him. Yet somehow the Coulter ghost understood him. "It's alright, I'm here to help you as much as I can." He continued, "This storm is gonna keep spreading now that it's vessel is broken." Coulter ghost gestured to the orb. "It's gonna keep going and sucking up every bit of energy it comes in contact with until there is nothin left. Which means your family and friends are all in danger." Seth felt the truth of his words as he watched a dirt monster corpse be absorbed by a bolt of lightning.

Looking up at the Coulter ghost he tried to form another question. "The only way to stop it boy is to give it another suitable vessel, something that can take it in and prevent it from spreading like the orb was used for." The Coulter ghost looked at him sadly. "I would do it boy but I'm not really here, your experience just now with death is the only reason you can see me." Seth suddenly understood what he was asking him and fear shot through his chest. If the pain he had felt just now was from only a small bit of the storm what would it be to take the whole thing inside him. His eyes pleading looked up at the image of his old friend. "I know what you're feeling boy but I can't make the decision for you. You have gone through more than what most folk should ever have to go through, you don't have to do this to. Everyone would understand if you want it to end right here, I can take you with me right now if you want and all the pain will end. You won't have to worry anymore." He paused, and then spoke again more softly. "But then you would never know what could have happened if you tried. But again, it's your choice."

At this Seth closed his eyes. The thought of being free from the pain was so tempting and wonderful, it seemed like a dream. But then the others would surely die and everyone else on this planet. Could he be that selfish? A thought came to his mind, a memory of a brave dragon slaying treasure hunter who had never given up. Even when the odds were stacked high and he had walked through hell itself, Patton had never quit. He always did what he could putting others first. Seth had wanted more then anything to be like him. So how could he give up? No he wouldn't! No matter how selfish and annoying he had been in the past here was his chance to put everything right even if it cost him his life.

Opening his eyes, Seth faced the Coulter ghost and with determination he nodded. The figure looked relieved and stated, "I'm proud of you boy, and Patton would be proud too." He smiled, "I can't help with this either but I can give you some guidance. You need to get to the orb and break it open. That will unleash the entirety of the storm but only let it stay open for a moment. When it does you need to draw the energy into yourself and don't stop, if you stop it will destroy you and everything else." Again he paused and looked increasingly worried. "It will be the hardest thing you have ever had to do and right now I can tell you it will probably be very painful. I also have no idea what will happen to you after."

Seth tried to gulp but his throat prevent anything from going down. Great, he would have to do this on a dry throat. Steeling himself he manage to roll his body over until he was lying down facing the orb. Glancing back one last time at the Coulter ghost he was shocked to see tears running down its translucent face. It smiled back at him and Seth knew it would stay with him until the end. That gave him courage and so he fought through the pain and began to drag himself towards the orb. This time he didn't even feel the wind, it was as if the air around him had gone still with anticipation. Drawing near, Seth grabbed his sword that had dropped earlier and started to heave himself onto his knees. The orb itself floated about a foot off the ground and pulsed gently. Seth noticed a small crack in the side that must have come from the extreme amount of energy swirling around. The amount of magical energy was astounding. How was he supposed to fit all this inside him including what was already wrecking havoc around him? Well he had never been one for carefully thought out plans that made sense. Breathing hard he swung the sword up and with a silent shout he plunged it into to cracked orb.

—

Captain Gryff grumbled as he pulled his cloak tighter. Why were all the top secret, world changing missions only he could do always so cold? The wind whistled through the trees as he made his way through the dark forest. Also, why were these missions always so obscure and vague. Vorur Gu had told him nothing other then travel here and find the one who needed help, oh and to not come in contact with any other people or creatures. Well that was sure specific and easy to do. Then again the Vorur's instructions were always like that. Well here he was following orders, wandering alone in a dark forest and freezing his toes off. At first he allowed himself to think this way for several minutes before he chastised himself. These were blasphemous thoughts and he of all people should know better. His calling was sacred and one he strived to perform with the utmost care and diligence. Finding lost souls may not have been his first job requirement but it was a part of the whole and so he would do it. Especially when the Vorur personally asked him to do it.

Cresting a small hill the older man paused to rest. He was getting on in years eleven though he would never admit it. Tall and strong he towered a good head over most men. His dark skin and long braided hair reflected his heritage. He hailed from a tribe of warriors in the south that in once were feared and respected as fighters. Those days had faded long from even legends and he was the last pure warrior from his tribe. Dark tattoos blended into his skin, only visible when light shone on him they told of his might and ferocity in battle. It had been a very long time since he had bested in a fight and these were reminders of that. His skill in battle and sharp mind had made him an excellent choice for Captain of the Night but it was his calm and kind manner that made those he served with respect him. Breathing in the evening air he felt a stirring not far from his position. Looking out he across the trees he could see a dark cloud that had gathered near the ground. It was pulsing with energy and seemed to writhe almost in pain. Sensing that this was connected to the one he had come for he quickly struck off in the direction of the cloud. As he drew close he realized the storm, though massive when he saw it afar had shrunk in size.

As he watched it continued to grow ever smaller and began to fade until he could make out what was inside. When he saw it his heart dropped with fear. Before him was a young human kneeling on the ground and drawing the storm into himself! This energy that Gryff felt was surely demonic magic of intense power but this child was absorbing it! He had never witnessed such a feat and could only wonder at the strength of the boy and what had possessed him to do such a thing. Cautiously and slowly drawing near he watched as the boy trembled and fell back. The storm continue to funnel into his body through what looked like his side. As the last of the energy whisked into the boy's body, he suddenly arched his back and shook from pain. Gryff stood a safe distance away and watched in amazement as the boy's body took the magic and began to change. His skin darken to a stoney grey, his legs cracked and shifted bending backwards, claws erupted from his fingers and horns sprouted from his scalp. Gryff felt immense anguish as he watched the boy become more demon than human.

After several minutes the shaking stopped and the boy lay deathly still. Creeping forward Gryff leaned down towards the boy. Shock filled him as he saw the boy's chest rising with breath. He was still alive? Once again amazement rushed through him. This boy was incredible! Gryff had no doubt that this boy was the one he had come for. If his mind was still intact he would need help to adjust and learn to control this incredible amount of energy inside him. For now though he would seal the boy and take him home. Biting his thumb to draw blood, Captain Gryff drew a small symbol on the boy's forehead. A slight shimmer covered the body, the sealing spell would keep him asleep and safe until Gryff removed it. It would be far easier to deal with him awake once they were safely back. Carefully picking him up, Gryff cradled the boy in his arms and began the journey home.


	2. Chapter 2

12 years Later.

"Good bye Miss!" Kendra smiled as she waved the last of her students on the bus. Walking back inside the school as the bus pulled away she couldn't help but dream of the long weekend coming up. She loved her 3rd graders with a passion but Bracken had promised to take her to see the fairy gardens and spend the whole weekend together. Only two days left she thought as she stacked some papers and threw a crumpled wrapper away. Dreaming of the beautiful gardens she was lost in thought as she continued to tidy the room and pack her bag.

She was startled when a men suddenly walked into the room. Dressed in a suit he looked rather fancy for an elementary school but, she thought, he must be a father. "Can I help you?" She asked. "I was hoping you could Miss Sorenson." He replied moving towards her desk. "One of my children is in your class and I was recently informed that he has been having difficulties." "Oh, which student would that be?" Kendra tried to think of which student it could have been. "Let me pull up the files real quick and we can have a look. Just give me a minute to get it up." She turned to the computer and began pulling up her students records. "I haven't seen you at any of our parent events or student activities." The man moved behind the desk and leaned over to pear at the computer. "Well I am a very busy father so I don't often attend any events here, my wife does all that." He replied, his breath on her neck.

Kendra was suddenly very aware of how close this man was and a shiver ran down her spine. Pushing away from him she forced the computer towards him. "Which student did you say it was?" She asked. He turned to face her and another chill ran down her spine. Why was she suddenly afraid of this man? Was it just that he was so close? He probably just couldn't see from very far, he was just a father concerned about his child so why did she feel apprehensive? "I can't seem to find him on your list her Miss Sorenson, maybe we could go out to my car and I can show you his report card." He stood up and offered her his hand. No matter what she thought of him she didn't want to take his hand but didn't want to appear rude.

Standing up she ignore his hand, "I will just follow you out if you'll allow me to grab my things?" Without waiting for a reply she quickly packed her bag, smiled at the man and walked swiftly to the door. He followed just behind. They walked through the empty hallways and out into the parking lot. I shoudn't be freaking out so much she thought. And besides, she reassured herself, he is perfectly human and I don't feel any magic coming from him.

As he took the lead towards a black sedan in the far corner Kendra glanced about. There sure are more cars her than usual, and who is the guy on the bike? I haven't seen him before. As she looked over the man sitting on the bike seemed to be watching her but with the darkened helmet she couldn't make out his face. Geez, she thought shuddering again, everything is setting me off right now. They reached the car and the man opened the door and leaned in to grab the report cards. "Hold on Miss they're here some where." His voice muffled by the door. A loud bang came from the far side of the lot and Kendra whirled around. She saw nothing but felt cold hands wrap around her head and torso. Her screams muffled by the man's hand she flailed and kicked trying to break free but his strength was surprising. "Now now Miss, get in the car really nice like and nobody has to get hurt. I may even leave you untied."

He began pulling her towards the car. Kendra fought and jerked her head managing to open her mouth and slam her teeth together on his hand. Shouting he momentarily let go of her head. Gasping for breath Kendra reacted instantly by slamming her head back. CRACK! She felt a warm liquid run down her hair and knew she had broken his nose. Grunting in pain he let go of her and grabbed at his face. Kendra dropped and without pausing began running as fast as she could. Desperately she tried to undo her bag's clasp to get at her phone. Hearing a shout from behind she glanced back.

The man had somehow pulled out a small handgun and was aiming at her. Fear took over and she raced towards the nearest car. Shots fired and concrete blew apart behind her, she wasn't going to make it! A roar of an engine fired and she saw the motorcycle guy driving straight towards her. Was this guy with the other one? How was she going to make it out of this? Pumping her legs as hard as she could Kendra changed direction towards the school. If she could just outrun this guy and make it inside there would surely be someone who could help! Right as she heard more bullets fire behind her a strong arm grabbed her waist and flung her through the air.

Gasping Kendra suddenly found herself on the back of the bike. The revved the engine and turned the bike away from the school. Looking over she saw two more men in suits had joined the first by the car. Blood streamed down his face as he raised his gun again. One of the other men was standing behind him and he was huge. A beast of a man he raised a curious staff and began mouthing words. Kendra could see magic building up around him. The bike jerked forward an Kendra nearly fell off when instinct had her grab at the man driving. He sped through the parking lot, dodging bullets.

Kendra was fairly certain that after this she would never allow Bracken to get the bike he wanted. Her stomach felt sick as the bike swerved and dodged around cars and bullets. On one turn it felt like the bike was completely sideways. She held on for dear life as the man drove out of the parking lot. Kendra looked back as the men got into the black Sudan's and began to chase them. Why was this happening? Who were those guys and why did they want her? And who was this guy who had helped her and how did he know this was going to happen?

She wouldn't get any answers now though. The cars gave chase as the bike pulled on the highway. Wind whipping around her, her hair flying everywhere Kendra shouted at the driver. Her voice was lost in the wind he sped up. She was pretty confident they were going way beyond the speed limit but that didn't seem to stop anyone in this situation. Flying down the highway, they dodged cars and trucks, keeping amid the crowd. Suddenly the man swerved the bike in front of a semi and off the road. Kendra screamed as the went down a short jump and under a bridge.

The man stopped and turned the engine off, keeping silent. Holding her breath Kendra watched as the black Sudan's raced past missing them. Her hands shaking Kendra managed to let go and fell off the bike. She sat there as the man got off and turned to look at her. "Th...thank you for helping me." She stammered, "I don't know who those men are or what is going on though." SHe looked up but the man stayed silent, he hadn't even take off his helmet. "Standing up she brushed off her jeans, "For that matter I don't know who you are." She stated pointedly and stepped back.

The man lowered his head but still said nothing. "I appreciate your help." Kendra tried again, "But I am going to leave now if you don't tell me who you are." She waited a few seconds but still nothing. Sighing she turned to walk away. "Wait." A voice spoke up, it was a man's voice but it didn't sound familiar. It was full of sadness and very hesitant. Turning back she look at the man. He had raised his arm towards her as if to stop her. Lowering it he once again looked at his hands. It was as if he were unsure of himself. "I mean you no harm." He began. "I just don't know what to say...'" The man seemed to shake as he drew in a breath. Sighing heavily he simply stated, "Just...don't run...Please." Unlatching his helmet he slowly pulled it off. Pausing a moment he took another deep breath and raised his eyes to hers.

For a moment she had no idea who he was. Then her eyes began to pick out small similarities. The dark hair that remained forever unruly, the small scar by his left ear he had gotten while wrestling the satyrs, and those eyes. Those blue eyes that she could always read and instantly know what he was planning. Now they were full of sadness and regret. Gasping silently she found she couldn't move. It reminded her of standing in a dragons gaze but without the magic. How was this possible? No it had to be a trick! Someone was playing a cruel trick on her. He must be with the others and this was all part of a plan to kidnap her and get some sort of information out of her. Steeling her mind with these thoughts she broke the paralyzing feeling and stepped back. "How dare you come to me like this!" She said with fury in her voice, "What do you people want?" The man flinched as if she had struck him. Hanging his head he looked ever the picture of dejection. She had to admit that he was a pretty good actor, these people must have studied her family and trained him well.

Again she asked with her voice raising, "Tell me what you want with me! Information? Power? You aren't getting anything from me!" Reaching down she tried to open her bag only to realize it wasn't there. The man shook his head and held up her bag. "I don't want anything from you except to hear me out." He said this time looking straight at her. Breathing slowly Kendra held out her hand, "Give me my bag and phone." The air seemed to crackle with tension as neither side moved. Finally with another sigh the man tossed her bag to her gently. At first she was shocked, why would he so easily give her a way to get away from him? Curiosity overcame her, she knew she shouldn't, that t was dangerous but he looked so pitiful and he had helped her. "Ok I'll listen for a moment but try anything and I'm warning you." She said as she pulled out her phone, ready to call for help.

He nodded and looked relieved. Pausing again he started by saying, "I understand that you want to know everything now. I get that. But it is highly dangerous for you to be here right now and it would be a lot easier to explain everything to everyone at the same time."

Kendra thought about this for a moment. "I get what you're trying to say but how can I just let you take me home? How am I supposed to trust you?" She stated defiantly. The man nodded as if he expected this, "I can't force you to trust me, in fact there really is no reason that you should." Pausing again then continuing slowly. " But... If you want I will answer a few questions now if it will help. We really only have time for a few though, those men will be searching everywhere for you." He stared at her waiting for her reply.

Kendra turned away for a moment and tried to compose herself. Only a few questions? How could she choose from the millions of thoughts running around her head? Breathing deeply she tried to think of something only her brother would know. What could she ask him that she knew for certain Seth knew? She reflected on memories and experiences, missions from the Knights, days at the preserve, what would Seth know if it was really him?

Turning around suddenly she walked back to the man until she was just a few feet away. He looked at her, apprehension on his face. Kendra crossed her arms and said, "I'm only going to ask one question, if you can answer it then for now I will trust you. But if you can't then I am gone and you had better not follow me or try anything." He nodded slowly and waited. Right, Kendra thought, here goes. "The very first summer Seth and I stayed at our Grandparents was the first time we found the magical world. How were our eyes open. And be specific." She rushed the words out and waited with bated breath. Would he know? They had never told anyone exactly how and who found out first.

The man looked down and Kendra saw a smile slowly build across his face. Looking up he softly laughed and said simply, "You tricked me into drinking the bowl of 'fresh, unpasteurized milk' that had been sitting outside under the flower bush." He smiled wide, "I started seeing fairies but you didn't believe me at first, took you a bit." Kendra felt her heart skip a beat at his words and for the first time she thought it could be possible. Seth was a alive and he was sitting right in front of her. Feeling tears well up in her eyes she gasped a little. "Seth?" She whispered. Noting tears flowing down his cheeks she didn't resist as he reached towards her. "Yeah." He said, "I told you it was me." Falling into his arms she sobbed as they embraced. "H..how is this possible?" She stammered. "How are y..you alive right now?" He hugged her tight for a moment but then stepped back. "Its a long story. I promise I will tell you everything but right now I need to get you out of here." Kendra nodding and wiped her sleeve across her eyes. She wanted more than anything to just stay in this moment for awhile but she new the danger they were in. Seth handed her a helmet and they were off.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun was going down by the time they pulled up to the large iron gates. Stalling the engine Seth waited while Kendra ran up to a small box and punched a number in. The gates slowly opened as Kendra climbed onto the bike. She wondered if the barrier would allow Seth in. They hadn't taken his name off the register. Pulling forward Kendra let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as they passed without incident. Another wave of emotions rushed through her.

Driving past the trees and around the gravel drive Seth parked the bike and switched it off. Just as Kendra was pulling off her helmet the door to the mansion swung open and Bracken ran out and down the steps. "Kendra!" He shouted, "Thank heavens you're ok! What on earth happened?" Running towards her, he wrapped her in his arm and held her tight. "The school called and said there had been a shooting but that you had disappeared." Breathing a sigh of relief he slowly released her.

Kendra chuckled a little and kissed his cheek. Seeing the worry in his eyes she explained, "There was a man who tried to kidnap me and yes he had a gun but its perfectly fine. I'm not hurt and nobody else was." Bracken looked at her with questioning eyes. "Who was it? Why didn't you contact me? How did you get away?" He paused suddenly seeing the figure standing behind her. "And who is this?" Kendra felt a rush of excitement. "Bracken you'll never believe what happened!" Her eyes shining with more tears she smiled, "This is who saved me, he knew the men would be there and helped me get away." Bracken glanced at her questioningly. Almost bouncing on her toes Kendra stated, "Bracken... its Seth, he's come back!" She watched as confusion flashed across his faced and then shock. He whipped his head around and stared at the man who was slowly removing his helmet.

Seth breathed deeply and swept his hand through his hair, waiting uncertainly as he watched Bracken's reaction. All he wanted to do was weep and laugh and hug him all at once. But he knew that so many things had changed, especially himself. Knowing Bracken's views of demons and dark magic would be the ultimate hurdle. How could he ever accept Seth after all that had happened? And if he ever found out what he truly was... no he had to believe in his old friend.

Smiling a little Seth stepped forward with his hand outstretched, an offering of peace. Bracken's face darkened and he stepped in front of Kendra. This gesture of defense stung, Seth's arm shook a little but he took a deep breath and said, "She isn't lying, it really is me Bracken." The unicorn flinched and narrowed his eyes, suspicion filling his expression.

"The boy you claim to be died in my arms." He stated coldly. "How dare you come here with his face." At this Seth dropped his arm and hung his head. Kendra pushed past Bracken's arm, "Don't you dare push him away! Just listen to him for a moment will you?" Bracken shook his head "Kendra how can just believe this? You were there, you watched him die!" Pushing her back again he raised his voice, "No matter how much we all want Seth to be alive you have to grow up and face the reality!"

Kendra gasped and tears flowed faster, "Just give him a chance Bracken!" She shouted back, pausing to shakily breathe in she continued softly, "What if it was him though? Wouldn't you want him back too?" Bracken sighed and looked down, "Kendra..." "No", She stopped him, "This is something I need you to understand and accept." Wiping tears from her cheek he looked at her for a moment. "Alright, but if I find anything wrong he goes and you have to let him go." Kendra nodded and smiled.

Seth watched as Bracken turned towards him again. "I don't believe you are who you say you are but for Kendra's sake I'm going test you." He paused and then jerked his arm forward staring at Seth. Nodding Seth stepped forward to meet him. He reached his arm out again and firmly grabbed his old friends hand.


	4. Chapter 4

Bracken's mind was filled with a cacophony of memories, each one swirling around filling his head with thoughts and impressions of another person. Concentrating he delved in, focusing on the earliest memories he could find. Going back he saw a young boy growing up with a loving family. Memories of birthdays, holidays, school days, good days, bad days and everything in between. He felt the anger at being left with grandparents for a summer, he tasted the sweet milk from a magical cow and saw the wonders unfold. He felt pain at being cursed many times, anger at being misunderstood, confusion at betrayals, pride at being able to help sadness for those lost and joy for the friends and family along the way. Bracken soared through Seth's mind, confusion at seeing authentic memories of the boy he once knew.

Drawing near to that fateful day, Bracken watched for the answer he needed. How was Seth alive and standing here? As he felt the blade pierce the boy's side the memories went flashed an image and then went black. Seth's voice emerge from the darkness. "I don't remember much from that day." He said, "And what comes after is not something I can show you. I made a vow that cannot be broken, even for you." Opening his eyes Bracken released the hand. "How are we to trust you if you won't let me in to see and prove you are Seth?"

Bracken watched the man's eyes narrow at the question, "You saw everything you need to know of who I am. You of all people should know that memories like that can't be replicated, even by magic." Thinking for a moment Bracken wondered, could he really accept that? He knew what he saw was true and good but was that enough to trust him? Sighing he looked over and caught Kendra watching him. He saw the hope in her eyes, the tears still unshed. The beauty of her trust once again amazed him. Still that last image he saw, it seemed so strange and yet oddly familiar. More a feeling than an actual memory, he saw a golden tree taller than the world and a calm feeling swept over him. He shook it out of his head, he would deal with it later.

Smiling he turned again to the man before him. "I guess I can't argue with that. I know who you are and that will be enough for now." Looking Seth straight in the eyes he continued, "But soon I will need to know how and why you came back." Seth nodded, understanding. "I promise you both that you will know the whole story soon." Bracken turned to Kendra and they began to walk inside. Kendra looked back, Seth stood there still, hesitating. Reaching out her hand she smiled at him. Looking up he smiled back and took the open hand, following them into the mansion.

—

Seth stays at Fablehaven for the next few days. Grandpa Sorenson had passed away and Grandma had moved in with Scott and Marla. Kendra and Bracken took over the preserve. Dale still works there, Warren and other Knights and friends pop in occasionally. Bracken runs the preserve while Kendra teaches at a local elementary school. While Seth is there Dale finds out and readily accepts him back, surprising everyone by crying. Warren visits with Vanessa and both are shocked to see Seth. However he asks that no one tell anyone else for now that he is alive and back. It would too much chaos as he is actually on an important mission. Everyone gathers in the lounge that evening to hear what he has to say.

—

Accepting a mug of hot chocolate from Kendra, Seth waited until everyone was settled. "I know that you all have many questions, I promise to answer what I can but know this." He paused before looking up, "There are some things I cannot tell you. Not because I won't but because they are not my secrets to tell. I have sworn to protect something far too important to tell you at this moment." He waited, watching everyone's reaction. Bracken nodded at Seth and Warren spoke up, "I guess we can't drag everything out of you. My curiosity is burning right now though."

"I understand, and I'm sorry for having to keep it from you. In fact I'm sorry for everything, for not coming home, for not telling any of you that I was alive." He swirled his drink a bit before continuing. "I hope you can understand a bit though, I had to stay away, it was too dangerous for me to come home for a long time."

"What do you mean by dangerous?" Vanessa asked. "Does it have to do with that magic storm?" Kendra questioned. "Yes." Seth stated. "The storm didn't just disappear, it was absorbed inside me." Gasps filled the room and several voices spoke at once. "How is that possible?" "Wouldn't that much energy have killed you?" "You died though, how on earth did it get inside you?" "Did it hurt?"

Raising his hand Seth waited until the voices died down. "Yes it did hurt, no it didn't kill me, I have no idea how I didn't die, and it got inside me because I offered myself as a host to contain it." Leaning back in the armchair he continued. "The orb was broken which was how the storm escaped in the first place. It needed a new host and I took it inside me to do just that. It worked and the energy healed me which is how I didn't die. I did fall unconscious though and you guys were already gone. That is the dangerous part though, the energy was still inside me and it is incredibly volatile."

A somber feeling filled the room. Bracken shook his head slowly. "I will never forgive myself for leaving you Seth, especially knowing you lived." He sighed, "I should have gone back for you."

"No, I'm actually really glad you didn't. You were able to get everyone else out and I would have died if you had. Also the storm would have continued without a host. So thank you Bracken."

Seth smiled at him but then it faded. "I wish I could say I was here just for a reunion. But forgive me because I am here for something very bad."

Everyone stared at Seth, the very air frozen.

"Kendra those men that came after you? They will come for you again, and they don't care who they hurt in the process. I came to help you and to ask for your help in return."

Kendra looked at him very seriously. "How do you know who they were? And what do they want with me?"

"They are part of an ancient group, far older than the Society of the Evening Star, in fact they were the precursor to the Society. They operate under complete secrecy, and simply call themselves The Circle. What exactly they want with you I'm not certain. But I do know that you and your powers are some how crucial to a plan of theirs."

"So what do you want with me then?" Kendra wondered.

"I need your help. Like I said I can't tell you everything now but I need you to come with me somewhere and help me fix something."

"That is incredibly vague." Warren skeptically stated. "I know, I'm sorry." Seth replied. "What I can tell you is the place where I need you to come is where I have been for the last 12 years. It where I was taken to heal and recover and learn. Its a safe place. Although the problem I need help with is a dangerous situation for many people, it will affect the entire world if we can't fix it in time."

Bracken rubbed his right arm absentmindedly while he thought. Shaking his head he looked at Seth. "I'm sorry but I can't accept that, I can't send Kendra off somewhere without knowing she would be safe."

"I understand, that is why I was hoping you would come too. I have permission to bring a few friends with Kendra as long as she promised to come."

Seth watched Bracken as he continued to ponder. He glanced at Kendra before replying. "Could you give us some time to think about it?"

"Of course." Seth answered. "However the situation is pretty perilous so I will need an answer by tomorrow evening at the latest." Bracken nodded and pulled Kendra closer. Watching them Seth knew they were discussing it in their minds. He stood up and walk to the door.

Warren jumped up to follow him. "Hey Seth, I was wondering if you wanted to maybe go outside and whack a few swords around. You know like old times sake." He smiled and wrapped his arm over Seth's shoulder. "Its been a long time since you've trained with me." Seth laughed. "Sure I'll take you on." "Great! Let's see how much you've kept from our lessons! Come on Vanessa! You can give the kid some pointers." Shaking her head Vanessa followed them out. "Boy's." She grumbled. "All they think about is food, sleep and hitting each other." Walking past the boys however, she smiled. "Only if I get to take you on Warren! I can hit you as hard as I want and you'll be perfectly fine." Warren winced and rubbed his shoulder. "Maybe I shouldn't have invited her, she gets scary when she gets excited." "Well you did kind of ask for it." Seth replied. Warren shuddered again and they walked out laughing


	5. Chapter 5

It was a warm day for autumn with a slight breeze that rustled the plant life. They walked past the the flower beds and followed the gravel path around the side of the house by the pool. Walking over to a small shed Warren reached inside and pulled out some practice swords. Made from a springy yet heavy wood the fake swords were not meant to cut or slice anything although a good hit would often leave a bruise. Warren tossed one at Seth and he watched the blade almost float through the air. At the last second he casually reached a hand out and plucked it from the air. Warren whistled, "Nice catch! I thought we could use these since its been so long, wanted to see what you remembered."

Smiling he tossed the third at Vanessa who also caught hers. Walking over to a large patch of grass Warren swung his sword in the air a few times and then turned around. "Come on Seth! Show me whatcha got!"

Seth walked forward and stood there, contemplating his opponent. Memories of training here flowed into his head. He loved learning to sword fight from Warren even if he wasn't very good at it back then. It had been years though, and thinking about what he had actually been doing all that time since made him pause. Should he show Warren what he could do? Or should he go easy on him?

Warren suddenly leapt forward, his sword in both hands, swinging down to strike at Seth. Vanessa watched as the heavy wooden sword swung a direct path to the boy's head. Was he just going to stand there and let Warren hit him? She braced herself but before she could blink Seth moved in a sudden blur. Vanessa's eyes struggled to follow the motion and before she knew what was happening, Seth had both swords in his hands and while standing behind Warren had one pressed to his back and the other to his neck.

Nobody moved and the only sound was lazy bee that gently floated past. Warren was breathing heavily and slowly raised his hands. Seth backed away with a smile and held out the second sword. Turning Warren gazed at him in shock. "How.. how did you do that? I've never seen anyone move that fast!" Seth chuckled and flipped his sword in his hands. "Well to tell you the truth it hasn't really been that long since I've used a sword. I've basically done nothing except train to fight since I left."

Accepting his own sword back Warren asked, "That's all you've been doing for 12 years?" "Pretty much, like I said, I was in a place where I learned a lot of things. Think of it like a school."

Vanessa walked up to the pair, "And what exactly did this 'school' teach?" "Well," He began, "I can't really tell you. Again its a secret I swore to protect." Vanessa's eyes narrowed but she didn't say anything further. Looking back at Warren Seth asked, "Wanna go again or do you give up?" Warren smiled and retorted back, "Give up? Nah I'm just getting started!"

Vanessa shook her head and walked away as the boys began to furiously pound each other with the wooden sticks.

—

Standing on the edge of the porch Kendra called out while ringing the triangle that hung on from the eave. She a heard a shout of affirmation coming from the direction of the pool. Walking back inside to the kitchen she began to pile plates and silverware onto her arm and carry them out. Setting the table she heard sounds of laughter and heavy footsteps enter the hall. Calling out she exclaimed, "You two had better get yourselves cleaned up before sitting at this table!" "Yes ma'am!" Echoed back. Continuing to hear sounds of roughhousing up the stairs Kendra shook her head. Children, she thought as she continued to get dinner ready. Bracken walked in behind her and kissed her on the cheek.

"That smells amazing!" He said as he dipped a finger in the sauce. Whacking his fingers with her ladle she pointed her finger at him. "Don't stick your fingers in there! You can wait till everyone is seated." Pulling a hurt expression Bracken pushed closer and wrapped his am around her waist. "Now why would a beautiful maiden like you want to hurt a poor hungry unicorn like me?" "Oh no you don't! Flattery won't get you anywhere you scoundrel!" Kendra responded as she pushed against him. "Now go finish setting the table so I finish making this food. Otherwise it might burn and then where would you be you poor, hungry unicorn?"

Laughing Bracken released her and grabbed a pile of napkins. "A threat like that is serious my lady. I would be fain glad to honor your request and complete this mighty task." Bracken bowed extravagantly as he left and Kendra rolled her eyes with a smile.

Warren and Seth came back downstairs while Vanessa helped Kendra put the meal out. Dale walked in and everybody sat down to eat.

—

After a wonderful meal of good food and laughter, sharing memories and jokes, everybody stood up to help clean. Seth followed Kendra into the kitchen with a stack of dishes. For a moment they were alone and Seth turned to Kendra, "Hey sis? I wanted to ask you something." Kendra began filling the sink with hot water. "Sure go ahead." Both of them watching the water slowly cover the plates Seth continued. "I noticed something odd about Bracken, he only uses his left arm. Is he ok?" A rush of emotions swept through Kendra that she could normally keep under lock and key.

Pulling in a shuddering breath she turned to her brother. She saw concern in his eyes as she opened her mouth. "It was injured that day we lost you." The siblings turned at the unexpected voice. Bracken was standing in the doorway a strange expression on his face. Seth stammered, "I..I'm sorry Bracken I shouldn't have asked her...I was just curious." Bracken sighed before walking forward. "Its ok, I suppose you would have found out sooner then later. When you fell and the creature ran off I tried to heal you. As I did a bolt of that energy hit your body and flowed into me." As he spoke he rolled up his sleeve on his right arm, revealing a bandage used for severely burned victims. It covered his fingers all the way up past his forearm into his sleeve.

Seth gasped and reached out but paused. He looked at Bracken with questioning eyes. Bracken nodded and Seth carefully touched the unicorn's arm. Slowly unwrapping the bandage Seth sucked in a breath. Kendra's eyes filled with tears as she looked at the arm. Even after 12 years the skin was still as black as it had been that day. The muscles had wasted away from lack of use so the fingers looked grotesquely skeletal. The skin looked rough and bumpy with patches of dark red showing. He still couldn't move it and nothing they had tried had helped. The arm was infected and resisted all attempts of healing. They had even considered amputating it but Bracken was hesitant.

Seth looked at the withered arm with an odd look in his eye. "You say you've tried everything? Even the sands?" Bracken shook his head. "The Sands of Sanctity have been sealed away again. We asked Agad to borrow it just once, but in the end we all agreed it was too dangerous t bring it out again. So I just learned to live with the pain." Pulling his arm back he began putting the bandage back on. Seth rubbed his face, clearly in deep thought. "You say it was the storm that did this? And that it won't heal because the energy is still in there, infecting you?"

Bracken nodded again looking at Seth with confusion. Taking in a deep breath and leaning back on the counter Seth stated simply, "If that's the case, then I can heal your arm."

Thanks everybody for the kind reviews! I try to update at least once a week, so if I don't just on my case and I will get more out :)


	6. Chapter 6

A shocked silence filled the room. Kendra felt like her breath was stuck. Heal his arm? Could it be possible when even the Fairy Queen herself didn't have the power to do so? She wondered at the possibility and then thought, there have so many miracles these last few days, what was one more? Eyes shining she looked up at her brother. Seth was looking at Bracken waiting for his reply. Bracken's eyes were closed, his arm tucked in a protective position. The way he held always held it when he was nervous or afraid Kendra noted. "Hey man you're blockin the doorway." Warren's voice broke the silence as he pushed past Bracken, carrying a stack up glasses. Pulling up short he noticed the awkward stares. "Um… did I interrupt something?" He glanced around confused when Bracken finally spoke. "No you didn't. We were just talking." He abruptly turned and walked out.

Kendra sighed and quickly followed him, calling out.

Warren looked after them and said, "Yeah I interrupted something." Walking over he dumped the glasses in the sink. Seth turned and without a word began scrubbing the dishes in the hot soapy water.

"I just don't know what to think anymore." Bracken sat on the bed and rubbed his face wearily. "I would love to for Seth to be alive and have come back but I just don't trust him entirely yet." Kendra slowly rubbed his back as he spoke again. "I mean I know it's your brother, his memories clearly show that but I have so many doubts. And he won't tell us the whole truth of where he's been and how he's even alive right now or what he needs with you. There's the strange sense of magic I feel everytime he walks in the room. We still don't really know who those men are that are after you. Then he goes and says he can heal my arm." Sighing he leaned forward and dropped his head. "Honestly Kendra I know how much it would mean to you to have him back but it isn't the same Seth we knew. He's different. Changed. And nothing makes sense."

Kendra nodded and spoke, "I know. It's not the same Seth we knew. But then again so much has happened to us too. I don't expect him to be the same and I can't force him to tell us every little thing he's done. I'm just holding on to the hope that it's him. It's like I have to or everything is going to crash again." Leaning her head on his back she reached for his damaged arm. Stroking the bandage she continued, "I know you think it's a bad idea but I want to go with him. Try to fix whatever is broken. And if he can fix you too then why not let him try? I think it's better to try and fail than to never try at all and never know what could have been."

A soft smile appeared and he looked at her with those wonderfully deep eyes that she loved. "When did you become such an optimist?" He asked, reaching up and tucking a strand of her hair back. She smiled back, "It was probably about the same time you became such a pessimist." Chuckling he stood and offered his good hand. "Well then my fair maiden, I will follow your lead on this one." As she took his hand and stood up he grew serious. "However if anything happens or if it doesn't feel right then we leave. I won't leave your safety to anyone." She squeezed his hand back, "My hero! Although I think the bad guys will find I'm a little harder to kill than most girls." He pulled her closer and stated, "I'm serious Kendra, I will not hesitate to pull you out or cut down anything that even tries to hurt you." "I know you will." Kendra replied. "And I trust you to do so, but I need you to trust me on this. It'll be fine."

Warren pulled the drapes closed and stood by the light switch. Bracken sat in the large arm chair by the desk as Seth pulled a small stool in front of him. "Are you sure you want me to do this?" He asked once more. Bracken took a deep breath and nodded. "It can't hurt to try. And if it fails, well, I'm already used to that." Seth nodded seriously as he sat on the stool. "Alright, Kendra I need you to stand behind Bracken and support him with your magic." Kendra moved next the unicorn and placed her hands on his shoulders, feeling his apprehension. "Warren when I start I need you to turn the lights off, the darker it is the easier it will be to coax the residue energy out. Vanessa stand by if anything goes wrong and pull us apart."

Taking Bracken's arm in his hand Seth began unwrapping it, reveal the horrid flesh beneath. "Bracken I'm going to pull the energy out by linking it to my own. Most likely it is not going to want to, it'll fight back. All I need you to do is let me in and then keep it from heading back in once I've got it alright?"

Bracken swallowed and nodded once, setting his shoulders. Seth took his arm in his hands, closed his eyes and began.

Warren quickly shut off the switch plunging the room into darkness. Kendra watched as Seth's hands, his face furrowed in concentration, began to glow with a sort dark light. It became the only source of light and everyone watched with bated breath. A few moments of nothing went by until suddenly Bracken leaned forward gasping in pain. Through their connection Kendra felt a surge of pain flow up his arm. Her mind could feel an entity of chaos and anger writhing beneath his skin as it tried to claw its way into his body. She pushed back with determination, adding her magic to Bracken's.

Seth grunted, baring his clenched teeth as he fought to pull the energy out. A small trickle of smoke began flowing out of the arm into his hands. The glow began pulsing and Seth shook from the strain. Sweat dripped down his forehead and the smoke began flowing out faster and thicker. Kendra closed her eyes and concentrated on forcing the energy out. She heard Warren gasp in the corner but not move so she assumed everything was alright. She could feel the pain radiating from Bracken's arm even though he tried to block her from it. He began shaking from the pain, arching his head back into the chair. She prayed it would end soon.

Moments went by in this agonizing struggle. A tug of war fight over light and dark, it seemed it would go on forever. Until all at once it was gone. Bracken gasped, breathing hard from exertion, she felt his body slump in the chair. Kendra felt a wave of weariness sweep over her. She hadn't realized how much energy she had been using. Cracking open her eyes she looked at Bracken's arm and felt tears welling up again. There it was, small and frail still but with no scars or burns. Only soft skin was left, not a mark on it. Bracken groaned and opened his eyes. He looked down and stared at his arm, eyes wide. Slowly he began to curl his fingers, then moved his wrist, and finally lifted his arm.

Glancing over at Seth he was slumped forward, breathing hard. He lifted his head for a moment and smiled. Kendra watched as his eyes rolled back into his head and she jumped forward as his body fell to the ground. Bracken leaned forward as well looking anxious. Kendra sighed when she saw he had just passed out. The flickered back on and Warren spoke up from the corner. "Did it work? Is everybody ok?"

"Yes." Bracken breathed, "It worked." Vanessa helped as they lifted Seth onto the couch. Kendra grabbed a blanket and tossed it over her brother. Looking over she saw Warren still standing by the wall, worry etched on his face. "Hey are you ok Warren?" Everyone glanced over at him. He smiled but Kendra could still see worry in his eyes. "Yeah I'm ok, I'm glad it worked. Is Seth ok?" "He should be fine." She said, "Just out cold from the exertion that took I guess. But maybe someone should watch him just in case?" "I can do that." Warren volunteered. "You two should get some sleep, from what I saw it took a lot out of you." Kendra thanked him and she and Bracken left the room. Glancing back she saw Warren standing over Seth with arms crossed and brows furrowed, looking extremely anxious.


	7. Chapter 7

Vanessa left that morning, she was heading to the Knights of the Dawn about the the group called the Circle. She would get in touch if any news came up.Kendra had found Warren and Seth in deep conversation in the lounge when she came down. They said they were discussing the travel plans. Bracken was crying again as he hugged Seth, thanking him over and over. Seth was apologizing for not being around to do it before. Bracken agreed to travel and help where they could. Everyone packed and plans were made. They needed to get to the coast where a boat would be waiting, that was as far as he would tell them. The only danger they really faced now was the Circle. Seth knew they would be waiting the moment they left. The had already made it clear they were after Kendra and they certainly weren't going to give up now.

"Well we can either go out the front gates and almost certainly be ambushed and have to fight our way out, or we could jump through the Fairy Gate to a closer preserve and not get caught." Seth leaned back and crossed his arms, thinking hard. Kendra spoke up, "It makes the most sense to me. We can avoid the Circle and maybe even throw them off our track?" Dale nodded seriously, "I like that plan too, although you know I'm gonna stay here and watch the preserve. I saw a couple of black cars out on the road this morning. They're definitely out there."

"So then it's settled. We go through the Fairy Gate." Bracken stated. Warren looked anxiously at Seth. "You ok with that?" Seth shrugged and replied, "It's the fastest and safest way. As long as we hurry it should be fine."

As everyone finished packing Seth wandered outside. He sat on the deck stairs watching the fairies flit about the garden. Momentarily, Dale came back with Hugo and the cart. "Set!" Hugo cried bounding forward. "Hey big guy! It's been a long time!" Seth stood up and gasped as Hugo wrapped his giant arms around the boy's body with a crushing force. "Set came back! Set will stay now?" Hugo asked putting him down. "Sorry buddy I can't stay this time. I know it's been a long time but I have to go now." Seth replied. Hugo nodded and pointed at himself. "Then Hugo go too, Hugo stay with Set now." Seth shook his head, "No big guy, I need you to stay here with Dale and protect the preserve. Some bad guys might try to get inside."

The others walked out, placing their things in the cart. "Hey Seth, we have extra swords and things if you wanted a weapon? I noticed you didn't have one." Bracken asked. Seth saw Warren look at him sideways as he replied. "No I'm good, but thanks for the offer." Ignoring Warren he climbed in the cart. Everyone else piled in and they took off.

Riding beneath the trees brought back memories. Seth looked out imagining a creepy shack with a wooden puppet, an old church with a fairy army, finding treasure with the Satyrs and even the nasty Revenant. That was when his troubles had really started. When the blackness had left a mark on him it had led to him becoming a shadow charmer and then to the storm of demon magic. It was kind of comical he thought, that as Kendra had gone so far to the light he had gone just as far to the dark. Yet they were still brother and sister, wanting nothing more than to protect those they loved. He broke out of his reverie as the cart bumped past the tall, hedged arches of the pavilion area.

Seth felt a faint tingle when they passed through the fairy barrier but nothing more. Maybe she would actually let him in? The grassy area was mostly deserted this early in the morning, there were a few fairies flitting about but nothing more. Seth jumped out of the cart and Warren followed grabbing his arm and leading him out of earshot. "Seth you're going to have to tell them sooner or later. They have a right to know." Warren said sternly. Seth sighed, "I know. I was hoping to put it off as long as I could. I worry about Bracken's reaction most of all." "If he finds out the way I did you should be afraid, I think it's best if you tell them yourself." Warren continued, "And besides, what's gonna happen when you can't go into the fairy kingdom? Or you do and the Fairy Queen kills you? I don't see how this situation is going to end well." Seth shook his head. "I guess I'll figure it out, for now though please don't say anything. There are people whose lives depend on us getting to our destination."Warren nodded and they rejoined the group.

Kendra glanced at the two quizzically. "You ok?" Seth gave a curt nod and looked towards Bracken. "We ready to go?" Bracken shouldered his pack and lead the way towards the pond. Entering the boat house they found a large rowboat that could fit everyone. Settling in they paddled across the lake. Looking down into the water Seth noticed a face staring back at him. He smiled at the niaid who return it by blowing a raspberry and disappearing from sight. He heard the giggles from below and concentrating he could understand a few things.

"There goes that motley crew again, always floating across our pond like they own it."

"Too bad the prince is with them, otherwise I would enjoy drowning the rest."

"I would love to drown that little fairy brat sitting next to him."

"I want the tall, handsome one on the other side. His skull would look so good in my collection."

"How about that demon boy who looked at me. He seems like he'd be fun to play with."

"Can't you feel that aura coming off him? He's a demon prince for sure I wouldn't want to touch him."

Seth shook his head again as the boat touched the island. Hoping the others hadn't heard that he followed them off the boat. The moment his feet touched the bank he paused, waiting and holding his breath. Nothing. Was the Fairy Queen just not paying attention today? It didn't take long for the small group to find the fairy shrine at the center. Kneeling around it Seth watched as Bracken and Kendra held hands with their eyes closed, petitioning the queen. A few moments passed and a blinding light appeared above the statuette. Bracken smiled and walked into the light with Kendra right behind him. Warren gave Seth another looking but said nothing and walked into the light as well.

Seth took a deep breath, "Well...here goes nothing." Squaring his shoulders he stepped into the light.


	8. Chapter 8

Warren grunted as the light blinded him. Walking forward he opened his eyes, blinking away tears. He was standing on the edge of a lush forest, fields of soft grass and poppies stretching out before him with tall mountains in the distance. He gazed out at the serene landscape and noticed a pure white castle in the distance. That must be the Fairy Queen's castle, he thought, noting how far away it seemed. Turning around he watched as Seth stepped through the portal, gasping and shielding his eyes.

Worried, Warren hurried to him as the light from the portal faded. "You ok man?" he asked. Seth nodded but Warren noticed him shaking and panting as if it was hard to breath. Stepping back from his cousin Warren looked over at Bracken and Kendra, both looking out towards the distant mountains expectantly. Seth groaned and stood straight, wiping his brow, and walked slowly towards the others. "Kendra I need to tell you something before we go further.." He began. "What?" Kendra asked distractedly, turning towards her brother. "Did you say something Seth?" Seth nodded but as he opened his mouth to speak there was a loud shout across the field. Warren shielded his eyes with his hand and gazed in admiration at the sight before him.

Galloping across the field in perfect formation was herd of giant fairy men on brilliant white horses. Their armor shone with a golden gleam, reflecting the light of the sun onto their steeds. Their movements were completely synchronized as they ran a tight circle around the group, ornate lances pointed towards said party. After a few circles (in which Warren was certain they were showing off) the horsemen pranced to a stop surrounding the group. Bracken stepped forward with a smile and said something in a lilting language to the lead fairy, standing out with a more ornately carved set of armor and helmet. The fairy twisted his hand in a gesture of friendship and replied in the same language.

A noise came from behind the fairy and he turned in surprise, dancing his mount sideways. Warren noted another white horse approaching from a distance, this time without a rider. As it drew closer he saw the pearly horn growing from it's forehead. A unicorn, he thought, why are guards and unicorns coming to greet us this far out? His confusion increased when the unicorn reached the group and transformed in a flash of light into the fairy queen herself. Immediately she drew her sword and rushed at Seth, whom Warren noted had been rather silent as if he was trying to hide. The rest of the guard followed suit and pointed their weapons at the man. For a second nobody moved, the air crackled with tension, then Bracken spoke. "Mother! What are you doing?!"

The queen's face was curled in anger but her voice was calm, "What am I doing you ask? I am about to destroy this demon you have brought into my realm of light." She drew her arm back to plunge her sword into Seth's chest. "No!" Came a shout. Warren watched in horror as Kendra suddenly leaped in front of her brother. "Get of the way daughter! This is my solemn duty as Queen and I will accomplish it!" Titania gestured at her guards and one moved to intercept Kendra. "Please no my queen!" Kendra pleaded, "This isn't what you think, he isn't a demon!" She stood there definitely, arms spread wide as if she could by sheer will protect her brother. The guard hesitated, looking at the Queen in confusion.

Bracken stepped in between the two women, "Lets all just calm down, there is an explanation here if we all could just stop and listen." Titania stood without lowering her weapon, a sad look in her eyes. "You believe this to be your lost brother do you not child? You claim he is not a demon? Allow me to show you his deception." Without warning she jumped around Kendra and raised her empty hand, palm out, towards Seth. Warren again noted that up until now his cousin hadn't moved or said anything, now his eyes widened in fear and he stepped back with arms raised as a beam of blinding light shot towards him.

Warren watched almost in slow motion as the light hit Seth, his body crumpling to the ground and a screamed erupting from him. The light enveloped his body like it was fire, so all Warren could see was his shape as it suddenly began twisting.

The screaming and shaking stopped and the fairy queen lowered her arm as the light faded. Kendra covered her mouth in horror and stepped back from the figure before her. The guards around them shifted nervously. Warren sighed and shook his head, he had warned Seth about this hadn't he? The shape groaned and slowly uncurled from it's fetal position it had taken. Standing up it was about the same shape and height as the man before, but that is where the similarities ended.

His skin was a dark, stony grey that lightened at his face and hands. His legs curled back, like those of a dragon, and ended in large talons with blackened claws. A long lizard like tail brushed the ground behind, sweeping back and forth like a cat in fear. His hands ended in clawed fingers that curled back as if they wanted to hide themselves. The figure was hunched over and it slowly raised its head, a look of dejection on its face. Large, black horns curled back from the sides of his head. His ears were elongated like those of the fairies around them and his features themselves were animal like in nature.

Through eyes that had become hooded and dark and a nose that resembled cat more than anything, Warren could once again barely tell that it was the same person. However, his eyes told a different story, they were still his eyes and showed his soul no matter what the rest of him looked like. Warren had come to that conclusion after he saw the kid's transformation the other day. Looking around however, he knew it would be difficult to convince anyone else. Once again the queen moved forward with her sword and looked back at the others. "Now you see his true nature, a demon. One just like those we have imprisoned or killed."

"No." The queen whipped around her head at the word. "What did you say filth? You dare speak to me when I hold your life in my hands!" Everyone watched as the figure shook his head and stood tall, looking at the queen directly.

"I said no, I'm not a like those other demons. I am myself." Bracken's face darkened at this and he stepped forward. "I knew it. I knew from the moment you came back. You aren't really Seth at all are you? Just wearing his form, trying to convince us to trust you. You still try to use his voice." Seth jerked his head as if he'd been slapped, "Of course not, everything I have told you has been the truth. I should have told you about this part before but I was terrified of your reaction. And apparently for good reason." He shot back.

Bracken's eyes narrowed. He looked toward his mother and nodded before turning his back. The queen suddenly shot her hand forward again and more beams of light wrapped around Seth's hands and feet, covering them and causing him to fall forward with a grunt. He yelled out again, "What I said before was true! There are others depending on us to help them! Would you honestly sacrifice innocent lives of women and children and families because you can't see past your own blind hatred?!" Another white light covered his mouth, muffling his shouts. Bracken didn't turn and instead took Kendra by the shoulders and led her away; she was silently crying and shaking, unable to move. Warren stepped forward but as he did so, a pair of arms grabbed him and gently set him on a horse behind a fairy. He turned the horse and began to gallop away. Warren twisted around and saw Seth being loaded on another horse with fury in his eyes. The entire group mounted up and followed their unicorn leader back towards the palace in the distance.

I am so sorry for the lateness of this chapter, I have been fairly busy the last few weeks. I hope you will continue to enjoy this story. Remember I love feedback and will definitely take in account your suggestions :)


	9. Chapter 9

"I don't understand what just happened." Kendra stared at the floor, hugging her knees to her chest. The shock from earlier had worn off, leaving her feeling drained and confused. She tried to work through the events of the past few days. "I mean I was sure it was Seth, but what was that thing?" Warren sighed across the room, he was leaning on a balcony overlooking the main courtyard of the castle.

The room they were in was near the very top of the east tower, it rose high above the castle walls allowing a stunning view of the poppy fields and the mountain just beyond. Kendra continued, letting the frustration and anger flow out, "Is he a good guy, is he bad guy? Is he a demon, is he even my brother?" She flopped back onto the massive four poster bed she was currently sitting on. They had been sent straight here without a word, Bracken had said something about getting to the bottom of this and then left. Meanwhile she and Warren were not allowed to leave the ornate bedroom they were stuck in. It had been all day and still no word from anyone, just a few meals dropped off and the door closed again. Kendra felt like a child being left out of a secret. She wanted desperately to know what was going on. "Garrrr!" She yelled in exasperation.

"Why is it so important if he's human or not? I mean you're not entirely human yourself, and neither am I or even Bracken for that matter." Warren spoke up as he walked over to the low couch and sat down for the eightieth time. "What really is so special about being human?" Kendra sighed and thought about that for a moment. "I suppose it's not that he's human that worries me. I guess it's just that I still don't know anything about what happened to him. Why didn't he tell us before he was a demon?" At this Warren turned a little red and cleared his throat. "Well about that...he actually did tell me… well more like I found out and asked him about it which led into him telling me and also us talking about a few more things you don't know and a lot about where he was and what he was doing and I told him he should probably tell you guys soon and I think he was going to but he was a little late and the fairies interrupted and now we're here and I'm just rambling on now aren't I?" He sheepishly look over at her. Kendra had sat up at this and was staring at her cousin, mind whirling.

A loud bang interrupted her thoughts however as the door suddenly swung open and Bracken rushed into the room. Kendra jumped up and ran over to him. "What happened?" She asked nervously. He let out a deep breath before replying, "He's locked up in the high dungeon for now. Mother wanted to kill him immediately but I managed to stall her until tomorrow at dawn." He dropped heavily into an armchair and rubbed his eyes. "I have no idea what to do, this was a surprising turn of events." "Did you speak to him?"

The unicorn shook his head, "I tried but couldn't get anything more out of him. He keeps going on about the task he needs your help with. Said he would only talk to you about it, and only if you were alone." Kendra pondered on this. Why would he want to talk to her alone? Was it because she was his sister? Or was there something else? She had been the first one convinced he was who he said he was. She realized the others were staring at her, waiting for her reply. "Is it safe?" She asked. Why was she suddenly so afraid of him? Hadn't he been the one to rescue her and heal Bracken? Surely that meant he was no danger to her.

"If you don't want to it's perfectly fine. However I think it would be a good opportunity to learn something. I'll be right behind the door if you need help." Bracken assured her. Kendra nodded, "I'll do it then." Bracken gave her a tight hug and walked over to the door. "I'll let the guards know." Kendra stood to follow but Warren grabbed her arm. He looked at her with a serious gaze, "Kendra please remember that not everything is black and white, good or bad. The world is a lot more grey than that and people can make some dumb choices because of it." Confused she nodded again and took off after Bracken. What did Warren mean by that? Of course she knew that not everything was as it seems. Her experiences in the magic world had certainly taught her that. But why was he reminding her of it now? What did Seth tell him?

Kendra stared at the solid door in front of her. It was beautifully carved of gold, ivory and other precious materials. Underneath, she knew it was solid iron inlaid with magic and impossible to break. But the images of dancing satyrs and frolicking nymphs made it seem far more fragile than it was. Steeling herself she nodded at the fairy guard and watched as she placed her hand gently on the door and swung it open. A short hallway lay before her and then a set of stairs descending into a round room with one small window.

Kendra stepped forward, shaking of the feeling of fear. The horrible image of the monster her brother had become filled her head. Se desperately wanted to call on Bracken but something stopped her. Was it hope? Hope that earlier had been a mistake? That her brother was still normal and safe? She reached the end of the hallway and braced herself for what she saw. An almost pleasant surprise filled her as she saw the human body of her brother chained to the bottom of a large pillar in the middle of the room. She stood there for a moment looking down upon him. He sat at the base of the pillar, facing the stairs with his arms wrapped around backwards and cuffed together. His head hung low and his whole countenance seemed hopeless.

As if he sensed her presence his head lifted. Catching her gaze his face broke into a smile. "You came!" He sounded so happy that for a moment she could imagine that he was perfectly fine. Then she saw the bruises on his face and neck, cuts down his arms and a weariness about him. What had they done to him? The fairy queen was supposed to be the protector of innocents and wielder of light. Why had she tortured an innocent? Then she remembered the terrible figure. She had begun to smile as well but it closed off again. Slowly she descended the short staircase. Stopping just out of reach before her brother she folded her arms. "You said you'd only talk if I came alone. Here I am. Alone."

Seth's expression dropped and he sighed deeply. "I had hoped you wouldn't see me as a monster either but I guess we were both disappointed today." Kendra angrily shook her head, "Of course I'm disappointed! Why wouldn't I be! You tricked me into believing you were my brother who had come home. And I fell for your lies because I wanted nothing more then to see him again." Kendra felt tears once again well up in her eyes. No, she squeezed her eyes shut. She would not cry again, there had been too much crying already, and she certainly wouldn't shed another tear for this monster. Opening her eyes again she glared at the forlorn figure in front of her.

"Tell me exactly who you are and why you came here. No more lies." There was a long pause before the man took a deep, shuddering breath and slowly raised his head. She was shocked to see his eyes rimmed with red and full of sadness. She almost felt pity for him again. With a voice full of pain and anguish he began his story.

"All right. If I must I will tell anything you want to know." He adjusted his legs and stared up at her. "However, please remember that everything I have told you up until now has been the truth, maybe not the entire truth, but I have not lied to any of you. I am your brother. I am Seth and I did not die that day. Like I said, that storm was sucked inside me and it changed me."

Feeling this was going to be a long tale, Kendra slid down the wall directly opposite him and tuck her knees up. "When you say it changed you, you meant physically too?" He nodded. "Then what am I looking at now?" She continued. "Why do you look human and what was that before?"

"You should be familiar avatars by now Kendra." He replied with a small laugh. "The storm indeed gave me a demon form, that was what you saw earlier. It took me a long time to learn to use an avatar. It's no different than what Bracken uses or wizards." Kendra slowly nodded, that actually made sense why his energy had still felt the same even though he looked different. "So who taught you this? Where were you?" Seth closed his eyes for a moment and rested his head on the pillar. It seemed he had fallen asleep, but then he opened his eyes, looking at her again, and spoke slowly. "Someone found me and took me to a place of healing and learning. It's the place I told you about earlier. It's called the Sanctuary although it has many names in many languages."

"This place." Kendra questioned, "Is it human or magical?" Seth chuckled before replying. "I suppose you could say it's the most magical place of all. It's actually where all magic comes from." Kendra narrowed her eyes at this. "What do mean? Like the origin of magic? Wouldn't I know about this already? Bracken surely would have told me if he knew and I'm certain that Patton would have discovered it and written about it."

"I know that it seems kinda crazy but believe me, it is very real. And Patton actually did discover it once but he could never get inside. It's the most secure place in the world, nothing gets inside the borders without a direct invitation. Bracken wouldn't know about it and for that matter neither would the Queen." Kendra shifted a moment, thinking deeply. "Why would the queen not even know about it? What's so special about this place? Where did it even come from?"

Seth grunted in acknowledgement. "For that we have to go back before the Queen even lived. Back when the world was young. When the earth came to be, magic was simply an energy, it flowed through everything and existed as much as gravity does. It was just there. However, when intelligent species began walking around they discovered that magic could be harnessed and used. These creatures back then made no distinction between light or dark, there was just one type of magic in its purest form. They began experimenting and eventually this led to a desire for power as all things do. There were wars fought, entire races destroyed, continents changed and destruction everywhere."

"Then along came another group, their identity has been lost through the ages. This group looked around and saw the destruction, they believed that life was meant for more and that magic was a tool of creation and beauty, not chaos and death. So they came together and enacted the most powerful spell ever known, they gathered all the magic energy into one place and consolidated it into a single form, it was called the Amalgamate. Every bit of magic energy that existed in the creatures and world around them was sucked out, into a tiny seed, a symbol of life itself. This spell required so much energy that an entire continent, along with its inhabitants, was drained of life. The group performing the spell died along with it, their task complete."

Seth paused and watched Kendra's reaction. Really she had no idea what to think, any research she had done into the history of magic had reached dead ends. She could never find anything that explained it and here was someone casually telling her the history of the world. "What happened to the seed?" She wondered.

"Well that seed naturally started to grow where it fell. Being a magical seed, and filled with an entire world of energy, it grew immense. So large that it's branches and roots ripped holes into new dimensions. The branches grew into what became the Fairy Kingdom and the roots stretched into what was originally the Demon Realm, it later became the prison Zzyzx. The trunk however is still on earth, connecting all three realms and unifying the magic. In many cultures that tree is known as the tree of life because once it reached the other realms it began releasing it's magic. The energy began to flow back into the world. The creatures again lived with magic but it was far less than what their ancestors had. The rest still contained in the tree."

He paused a moment to swallow and then continued. "However, the magic had been gone for so long that the creatures of the planet had begun developing differently. A new race had risen up that magic couldn't naturally connect to, these were humans. There was also now a distinction between fairies and demons, light and dark, creatures of the day and night. So when magic was once again flowing through them it was corrupted and changed. It became what we know today as fairy magic and demon magic, good magic and bad magic according to some. From this came more wars and as you know the fairies won and the demons were locked away. Generations later and the humans became more and more powerful. Eventually leading to the creation of the preserves. The great tree was chosen to be the first preserve, it was considered sacred and needed protecting. All magic still flows from it, every life form is connected to it."

At this he stopped talking and waited, watching her. Kendra bit her lip, deep in thought. After a few minutes she asked, "So why does no one know about it then? I mean the wizards and fairies? Weren't they around then?"

"They were, and while the borders of the sanctuary were created the same as all the other preserves, the tree itself has an impact on them. It isn't just a tree, it has a conscious as well and changed the magic of the area around it. Anyone seeking to find the sanctuary must pass through it's trials in order to enter. Not only that but anyone who has been inside and leaves will find their memories of the place fading after a few days. The more time you've spent inside the longer it takes to fade. Same with just speaking about it outside the borders. Even though I've told you about it, your memory of this conversation will fade and you will forget it. That's why no one knows about it. And that is where I was."

Kendra stared at the floor. It all sounded so convincing but she was still so torn. Why couldn't life be just a tad easier sometimes? She puffed air into her cheeks and slowly let it out, pulling her hair back from her face. "So then those men that attacked me? Are they apart of this too?"

At this Seth's face darkened, "Unfortunately yes. When the Amalgamate was enacted, there was a group that fought against it. These creatures were on the winning side of the latest war. They wanted magic to stay as it was because they had the most power. Their attempts to stop the spell were refuted and they were almost destroyed. However, a few survived and passed down their knowledge through the ages, striving still to break the spell and release magic back into the world. They are the ones that attacked you, the ones I told you were called The Circle."

"How did they know me and what would they think I could do?"

"The Circle is a far more ancient group than even the Society was, they have infiltrated every organization in the world and operate in complete secrecy. I've tracked them for years now and have never even come close to finding their leadership." He narrowed his eyes, "They're relentless but also patient, they've waited for thousands of years already. I've lost more friends and comrades to their attacks than anything else. They're brutal, destroying anything that stands in their way."

Seth stretched his back before continuing, "The Circle wants you because I believe you can help us. I don't how they found out about you or that we need you, I told very few. The only answer is there must be a mole at the Sanctuary." "A mole? You mean someone let on that there was a problem and I could do something about it? What is it and why do you think I can help?" Kendra asked.

Seth however shook his head, "If there is a mole then I can't risk anymore information getting out. Just know that your powers can help save the entire world. And whoever the traitor is will certainly pay." His expression was furious, a wave of anger palpably flowing from him and Kendra felt terrified for whoever was on the receiving end of it.

A loud CRACK interrupted her thoughts and she whirled around. The door had slammed open and several fairy guards came clanking down the stairs. Two walked over and roughly hoisted Seth to his feet. "Whats going on?" She asked the nearest guard. "The Queen has demanded an audience with this one before his execution." Execution? She glanced out the window and saw little fingers of light creeping over the mountain. It was already dawn? How had that happened?

Seth grunted and Kendra was pulled out of her shock. Two of the guards had unlock the chains holding his wrists, pulling him off the pillar and locking them tight again. Another guard was busy fastening a short chain between Seth's legs, preventing him from walking very easily. A fourth guard approach with a leather harness that he fitted over Seth's chest and around his neck, strapping his arms to his body and keeping his head facing forward. When they were satisfied he couldn't move, the guards attached chains to themselves and then to various places on the harness. To Kendra it look like a spiderweb, with her brother caught in the middle. He looked at her and gave her a smile before being jerked forward. The last guard gestured at Kendra and she turned to follow the odd procession


	10. Chapter 10

I would really like to apologize for the lateness and shortness of this chapter. I was terribly busy with finals the past two weeks. I will try to get the next chapter out quicker. Thank you all!

Seth walked down the center of an enormous hall. The ceiling stretched far above his head, high enough that a haze of clouds filled the top. As tired and worn as he was, Seth managed to smile at the thought of it raining on the fairies. The rest of the room was longer than it was wide and packed on both sides with all manner of fairyfolk and magical creatures. As he peered around he saw satyrs and nymphs, fairies both large and small, beautiful human shaped figures, and many other strange and wonderful creatures.

At the far end, toward which he was being paraded, sat a massive, golden chair. It was honestly the single most ornate thing he had ever seen. Giant gold wings stretched behind it with vines, leaves and flowers of all kinds carved gracefully down the sides. Precious gems sat in gaudy patterns, when light hit them they threw beams of color around the hall. Purple and red drapery hung suspended behind with trim of gold and silver.

Amid the metal feathers, some perched and some flying, were the queen's own personal guards. Those golden soldiers with owl shaped helmets and, in Seth's opinion, far too large of arm muscles. The Queen herself was not yet present and Seth was stopped just before the marble steps leading up to the throne. His fairy captors took the chains hooked to them and latched them to the floor, securing their prisoner.

Hushed whispers had filled the room as he entered, by now only silence remained. Hundreds of eyes watched his every move. He felt a small bit of satisfaction when he saw his guards were keeping their distance. A pearly sound suddenly rang out and the doors to the left of the throne were flung open. All around him the creatures dropped to their knees, heads bowed in respect to their Queen. Even if he had wanted to kneel Seth's restraints prevented much movement, so he remained standing.

However, a fairy guard behind him decided that wasn't enough and slammed his boot into the back of Seth's knee. Seth jerked forward, his chains tripping his feet, and fell onto his knees. Another boot caught his shoulder and smashed him face first onto the marble ground. As he hit the floor Seth heard a crack and felt warm liquid rush out his nose. That jerk broke his nose!

As he lay there feeling a puddle forming, he heard the sound of many footsteps regally enter the room. There was a bit of rustling before a commanding voice rang out, "Rise and be still my friends." Seth tried to lift his head but still couldn't budge an inch in those blasted restraints. Around him he heard creatures moving to stand but not speaking. Again the voice spoke, "I said, rise." A sharp spear poked his back and the guard whispered hurriedly, "The Queen said rise demon. Now."

Once again Seth struggled but couldn't even turn his neck. "I can't. Your stupid binds won't let me move." There was a pause, and then a couple of rough hands jerked his body up into a kneeling position. Through watery eyes Seth squinted at the figures in front of him. "Your majesty." He replied bowing his head as much as he could. "I apologize for my situation, your guards are quite the experts in tying up a prisoner." The Queen's expression remained cold as she sat upon the gilded throne. To her right stood an Astrid and on the left was Bracken, Kendra and Warren.

Kendra was staring at his bloody face in horror. He tried to smile to reassure her but with the blood he was pretty sure it looked a lot worse. He turned his attention back to the Queen as she stood up. She moved down the stairs until she was a few feet in front of him. "My daughter assures me that you are not a demon, and yet I saw and felt for myself your black magic. What do have to say for yourself before I end you?"

Seth grew serious, "My Queen, I will not deny that I am part demon." Whispered gasps flew around the room and the Queen lifted her hand for silence. "However, I will also not deny that I am who I say I am, the boy that wielded Vasilis, the sword of light and dark. The boy that fought and killed Graulus and Baba Yaga. Brother of your hand maiden and grandson of the previous caretakers of Fablehaven."

The Queen narrowed her eyes, "You still claim to be the boy who was lost? It is true that my son has examined you and found the memories of that child, but you could have obtained them another way. What proof would you offer me?"

"Your majesty I would offer you a test. Tell me something that in your eyes a demon would never be able to accomplish and I will do it. Judge me for it and then make your decision. If you still believe I am corrupt and evil then I will willing die be your hand. However, if I prove myself to be true then you will let me and my family leave here as we came."

At this the crowd once again grew restless. Shocked conversations flew around the room and even the Queen looked surprised for a split second. But then it was gone and she raised her hand for silence again. It took longer this time but eventually the room settled into an uneasy silence, waiting for the verdict. A few tense moments passed as the Queen continued to stare at her captive.

Her words rang out harsh against the silence, "Alright demon. I will accept your terms. I will put forth a test, if you pass you may leave. However, if you do not pass my test, and you almost certainly will not, you will die immediately. Those are my terms."

Seth shook his head, "No, if I pass I want ALL of my family to go free with me." The Queen lifted her head back, "Unlike you, your family is free to go where they wish. They have not been corrupted by dark magic. I will not stop them from going and doing what they will. Now do you accept the terms?" Seth nodded. "Then here is my challenge. You and all present are well aware of the limits of both light and dark magic. One creates while the other destroys and neither can do what the other can. It is not possible. So your task demon, is to do the impossible. Create something beautiful."


	11. Chapter 11

Kendra groaned. Create something? When had Seth ever actually made something of value that another being would ever think was beautiful. He couldn't even finish a puzzle by himself. Sure he was pretty brave and reckless and usually came up with half decent plans to get something done but there wasn't an artistic bone in his body. Her heart dropped as she worried more than ever. Even if he wasn't a demon, he couldn't pass this test. Seth could be the greatest creator ever and the Fairy Queen would hardly let him leave with his life.

She watched as Seth's expression remained stoic and the Queen continued. "You have one hour to create something beautiful that I deem worthy. You may use magic and anything you think will help. Begin."

Kendra shivered a little and felt Bracken's arms wrap around her. His voice whispered through her mind. "Don't worry, whatever will happen will be for the best. Mother is a fair judge. As long as he gives it a good try she won't condemn him for nothing." Kendra sighed and leaned into him to watch the proceedings. The Queen had returned to her throne and the entire congregation had fallen silent. Seth sat in the same spot, legs crossed.

His eyes were closed and his head slightly bowed in thought. After a few moments he looked up and distractly asked for a seed, preferably a flower seed. What could he want a seed for? Kendra reminisced on the one time Seth had to grow a bean plant for school. Their mom had grown an extra one in secret because sure enough, Seth's died within a day. He killed every plant he ever touched with a thumb as far from green as you could get.

A small satyr returned and set a seed in front of her brother. He reached forward to pick it up and rolled it between his fingers. He blew on it gently and it started to glow. In the palm of his hands it grew, sprouting into a beautiful white lily. Kendra's eyes widened as she watched her brother perform fairy magic. Surely that would be enough to convince the Queen he wasn't a demon. Glancing over she noted that Titania hadn't move or even raised an eyebrow, clearly she would be hard pressed to be convinced. Seth leaned forward and spoke softly to the beautiful flower.

The lily shivered and stretched, twisting it's head and lifting it's petals higher. A single pure note reverberated from it's throat and flowed through the room. The sound pierced Kendra with a wave of emotion. It was so lovely that tears came to her eyes and she gasped for breath. Another note soon followed the first, then a third and a fourth, until a beautiful melody was echoing around the hall. It danced through the air and flowed through every creature's heart. Closing her eyes Kendra could feel the music as it sang of the world. She flew through the air, soared among deep forests, danced on waves taller than mountains, swam through raging rivers and fell through starlight skies.

The song brought every emotion with it in perfect harmony. Far too quickly it was over. Kendra opened her eyes and watched with sadness as the last note rang out from the lily and it crumbled to the ground, it's purpose fulfilled. Seth sighed deeply and raised his head. Kendra could see her brother's energy was spent, he looked as if he had run a marathon.

Looking around she saw that there was not a dry eye in the room, every creature had been touched by the music. The Fairy Queen sat still on her throne, eyes closed with no expression garnishing her beautiful face. Everyone waited expectantly for her judgment, however after a few moments of silence she stood, looked at Seth, and walked out of the room. Bracken stepped away from Kendra and hurried after his mother, the large doors closing behind them.

The moment the doors shut the room exploded with noise. Everyone was chattering loudly about what they had just witness, several staring at the lone figure in chains. No one moved toward him. Seth's shoulders drooped and his head lowered, glassy eyes staring at the remains of the lily. Kendra quickly walked to him and the guards immediately surrounded him. The closest one spoke gruffly, "I'm sorry milady but you shouldn't get near him. It's dangerous."

Kendra snorted, "Dangerous? Look at him! He can barely move in those chains. Even if he could move, he's completely exhausted." The guard shuffled anxiously, Kendra watched his rather youthful face glance between her and his prisoner. "Really I'm sure with all the security around us I'll be fine." He finally nodded and stepped aside, remaining close by. Kendra dropped to her knees and touched Seth's cheek gently. His looked up at her and smiled wearily. "Hey sis." She sighed, watching him breathe heavily. "You look terrible." She replied, wiping off the now dried blood from his face. "Yeah that really took it out of me. This place drains me more than I thought it would." He coughed before asking, "Think she'll accept that?"

"I'm not sure. I hope so." Kendra carefully picked up the dead flower and continued. "How did you do that anyway? It was definitely fairy magic." Seth chuckled and then groaned as he sat up a little. "It's like I said earlier, all magic is the same at the source. It's really hard to learn though and even harder to actually use it." She looked down at the withered leaves and softly rubbed them. "It was beautiful." She whispered. Seth smiled and nodded, "My ma- a friend taught it to me, he really believed music spoke to the soul."

The room hushed again and Seth's eyes focused on something behind her. Turning she saw the Queen standing over them, arms crossed and Bracken a few steps behind. Kendra bowed deeply as she stood, still holding the lily. The Queen looked at Kendra and held out her hand. Not sure of what she wanted Kendra placed the broken flower on her palm. Slender fingers carefully wrapped around the withered petals and pressed it to ruby lips. Her almond shaped eyes closed as she breathed deeply.

After several moments of silence, Titania opened her eyes and spoke to the nearest guard. "Empty the room and leave us. I wish to speak to this one alone." "But my Queen..." He tried to speak but his words faded as she looked at him sharply. Gulping he nodded, bowed, and turned to usher everyone out. Most of the creatures went without complaint, whispering excitedly with each other. Warren hesitated before walking towards the group. However, the astrids and fairy guards remained behind.

"I said empty the room did I not? I need you all to leave as well." Kendra could see that none of them wanted to leave. Did they honestly think Seth was that much of a danger? "I understand your concern. However, I am more than capable of protecting myself." Titania spoke kindly and smiled. With worried glances the soldiers left, shutting the door behind them. Then it was only Kendra, Bracken, Warren, Seth and the Queen left in the middle of the enormous hall.

Seth tried to remain calm. He was pretty sure he looked cool as anything on the outside but on the inside? He was definitely panicking. It took everything he had to put on that little show, fairy magic did not come easily to him. He was completely drained, just standing up would probably make him pass out. He watched the Queen as she handled the spent flower. Her expression was so odd, he couldn't read it. When everyone left the hall he felt more confused than afraid. If she still wanted him dead than what was wrong with a public execution? Wasn't that the point of assembling all those creatures?

He was even more confused when the fairy queen suddenly dropped to her knees before him with tears in her eyes. She looked at him and whispered a single name, "Vorur?"


	12. Chapter 12

I would very much like to apologize for how long it has been since I last updated. Yes I am continuing this story and will try very hard to finish it and update at least once every 2 weeks. Please don't be too angry for those who are keeping up. I appreciate comments and constructive criticism :)

The name echoed around the empty hall. Seth struggled to keep the shock off his face. How could she possibly know that name? No one outside the borders should have any memories of the Guardian! His eyes narrowed as he prepared for the worst, but he didn't not speak.

Silent, heavy moments passed before Titania drew a ragged breath and whispered, "This magic you used. You learned it from him didn't you?" Seth remained quiet. Tears began to fall down her pale cheeks. She shook her head and sobbed, "Please! If he is alive I must know! I beg you!" At this the Queen fell forward, prostrate before the demon she had so badly wanted to kill.

Well this was a conundrum. How did the Fairy Queen know the Guardian and why was he so important to her? This display of submissiveness from the Queen herself was startlingly, it really made him uncomfortable.

Shifting nervously he replied "Um...well..I guess, I'm not really sure how to tell you…" he trailed off as her sobs grew louder. Seth glanced at Bracken, silently pleading for help. He walked forward and knelt by the Queen. Gently placing his hand on her shaking back Bracken asked, "Are you alright mother? Who is this Vorur and why has his name put you in such a state?"

Titania slowly sat up and sniffled, her face now puffy and red. Between sniffs she softly answered. "He was my brother, your uncle. The one whose name is forbidden." Bracken looked at Seth confused, "This is the uncle who betrayed our family?" The Queen nodded and continued, "It was long ago, so far that I even I do not remember much. However, I do remember my elder brother and that I loved him."

A few more tears leaked out as she told them of her past. "I do not know of the argument but I was told that my brother had betrayed our family by committing an act so heinous it was never to be mentioned. His name and all records were destroyed. He was to be forgotten. I was too young to understand and no one told me of our history beyond my coronation not too long after." She lifted her head and looked at Seth, a wild look in her eye. "I do remember that my brother loved music, he was gifted to produce sounds that could drive crowds to tears. This song you played was the last song he played for me. That is why I ask you now. Is my brother alive and how did you come across this magic?"

Seth sighed internally, I suppose there isn't getting around it now. "Yes" He answered, "Your brother is alive although I didn't know he was related to you. I refer to him as Master and Friend. He has done more for me than I could ever repay. Because of this I cannot tell you more, it isn't my secret to share and I am bound under oath not to disclose his whereabouts or anything more about him." Titania nodded and smiled, "That is all I wished to hear. Then with this gift you have given me I will let you go free."

Bracken jerked his head in shock and all four stared at the Queen wide eyed. "Mother… why are you letting him go? He is a demon! Your sworn enemy." Titania placed her hand gently on her son's cheek. "It is because he has reminded me of a time when things were not so. He may have darkness in him, but I can see his heart is pure." She looked back at Seth and in a more commanding tone she gave him an option. "However I will only release you if swear to me you will never speak of this moment. I also ask that you return to my brother where ever he is and beg forgiveness from me." She looked down sorrowfully as she spoke this, "It is high time that past wrongs were made right."

Seth nodded, "I understand your majesty, I will do as you ask. I am in your debt for sparing my life, I will not forget that." The Queen snapped her fingers and his bindings disappeared with a flash of sparkles. Seth fell forward with a groan as his support was removed. Kendra jumped forward, worried as she saw his eyes were closed and his breathing shallow. Feeling for a pulse she noted that his skin had become pale and clammy yet was radiating heat. his pulse was weak and faint under her fingers. "I think he's sick!" She cried.

Warren moved to help her as they tried to lift him. "He told me this would happen if he stayed too long. It's the light magic in the air, it's burning into him. We need to get him out of here." Seth let out a faint whimper as they lifted him, supporting his limp body between the two of them.

Titania nodded and gestured to the wall beside the throne. It shimmered faintly and an oval shaped opening appeared. "I've opened a portal to where you were headed, be quick." Kendra nodded and struggled to walk with her brother, it finally set in that he was a lot bigger now than a 14 year old. Bracken hesitated but then quickly swapped with her. The group quickly made their way across the floor. The three man went through the portal but Kendra paused and turned to look at the Queen. With tears in her eyes she thanked her. Titania smiled and raised a hand in farewell. Kendra turned and stepped through the portal.

He hissed as another wave of pain racked his body. Curling up tight he waited for it to pass. A few tormenting seconds before it faded. Releasing his breath Seth groaned and slowly unclenched his muscles. Breathing heavy and dripping with sweat he softly cried. How long had it been now? Days? Weeks? It could have been only hours as far as he knew. He had woken up here; in this tiny, dark cave that smelled like hot dog water and mold. Somehow his wounds were healed and he could see though there was no light source. The cramped cave was barely big enough to lie flat or stand up. One side had a metal panel embedded in the rock that he assumed was a door even though someone didn't put a handle on the inside.

He did have to admire the aesthetic of the cave though. Like an old fashioned prison that someone had carved a long time ago. What with the water dripping through a crack, fuzzy mold growing in patches all over and the claw marks that covered the door and wall surrounding it. Must have been some serious monster they locked up in here. Wonder why I'm here, was his first thought moments before it had become clear.

"Another attack." He thought. The longer he stayed in here the more often they came. At first he completely lost control when they came and would black out. Waking up he would find himself covered in his own blood, new claw marks on the walls and scratches covering his body. Slowly he got used to the pain, it was a constant, it was the thing that kept him alive now. Groaning he sat up and leaned his head back. Examining his hands he watched in amazement as the cuts from his nails slowly closed. He felt like some kind of cursed Wolverine, which would have been cool if it hadn't come with the rest of the look. He hadn't seen his face yet but judging from the rest of his body it was just as bad.

His skin had darkened to a weird shade of grey that sort of changed to match his surroundings. During the attacks his nails became long claws that could tear through pretty much anything so far. His head had become quite heavy due to what felt like long horns that twist out from his skull. His nose felt flat and different, his teeth had sharpened and his ears were long and pointy. They kept moving in unnerving ways, listening to sounds he shouldn't be able to hear. You would think that would be it right? Of course not! Why would it have stopped there?

Nah, he bet that storm was like "How much of this kid can we turn into a demon? How about all of him? Perfect!". Ugh his legs were the weirdest thing ever, even worse then getting turned into a mutant whale squid. Now his legs bent the wrong way, kind of like the satyr's legs but in lizard form. And to complete the whole package was a nice long prehensile tail. Feeling a new appendage when there shouldn't be one was freaky beyond compare. Also super cool but he didn't really feel like appreciating it when he was now a monster demon stuck in someone's cave for some unknown reason.

Not to mention what was actually inside him now. Had he really absorbed all of the storm? It sure felt like it. He was alone in this prison but wasn't really alone. No there was something with him, inside him. Pulling at his thoughts, twisting his mind. It wanted out, it wanted freedom, chaos. It swirled around him, ever present but for some reason never completely taking over. Like something was holding it back. Whatever it was he was grateful. He couldn't imagine even more horrors coming to life.

Sighing he dropped his head and waited.

"Why do you continue to trust him?!" Angry voices pounded along to his headache, waking him from memories into what felt like a hangover. His tongue, dry and fuzzy, stuck to the roof of his mouth. His body felt heavy and slow and his eyes were crusted shut. Groaning Seth blinked his eyes open a crack and immediately went blind. Closing his eyes until they were just barely open he waited, letting the light in slowly and listening to his surroundings. "You heard what your mother said! She trusts him now! Why can't you?" The shouting was intermingled with the sound of heavy fabric moving in the wind, dry grass brushing against itself and the buzzing of some sort of insect. "Probably because he's a demon, still hides the whole reason we're following him, oh and to top it off we're now in the middle of who knows where making sure he doesn't die! Have I left anything out?!"

Silence fell. More buzzing. This was probably a good time to intervene. Seth heaved himself into a sitting position gasping. Man this sucked, Rin was going to hound him for letting it get this bad. Actually she was probably going to kill him and obliterate his remains for just leaving with out telling her. Seth winced at the thought of her reaction. Shaking his head he opened his eyes again, blinking away tears. He was sitting on a rough blanket under a sort of makeshift tent that shifted in the wind. A simple construction of fabric and sticks with dry sand covering the floor. Sunlight beamed through the fabric, making the air hot and heavy.

Checking himself he noticed bandages around his left arm and torso. Someone had cleaned the blood up and wrapped his wounds. The shouting had subsided from outside the tent. Sighing he slowly climbed to his feet. The aching was starting to go down which was both a good and bad sign. His wounds would have immediately started to heal as soon as they left the fairy realm and his energy came back. Unfortunately that also meant he had been unconscious long enough for that to have happened. He stretched his arms and yawned, shaking off the headache and stiffness before stepping out of the tent.


	13. Chapter 13

Red. The only color for miles. Granted there were varying shades of red presented, but overall the effect was like wearing rose tinted glasses and being unable to take them off. They had been driving for only a day and a half and he was already tired of the never ending hills of red sand. Not to mention the ever present heat. The night was blissfully cool while the day was energy sucking hot. The Jeep they rented had little to no AC and rolling the windows down just invited sand to fly in.

The Fairy Queen had deposited them at one of her shrines in the Sahara Desert. Apparently the desert itself was an "open sanctuary". Meaning it had no formal borders or caretakers. The magical creatures were few and far in between while the land was so hostile that few humans came there anyway. The natives still revered the ancient magics and left well enough alone. The shrine was a rundown sandstone well outside a small village that looked as if it had never been used. The people spoke no English and pretty much left the visitors alone.

Seth had slept for 3 days after they came out of the portal. During which Kendra and Bracken had done nothing but argue while Warren tried not to go crazy. Eventually he woke up, explained where they were and where they needed to go, tried unsuccessfully to appease Bracken, and headed off as soon as the sun started to go down. Kendra of course followed immediately, Bracken followed just for her sake (grumbling the whole time) and Warren was simply too hot to complain. They had rented a run down Jeep that had more sand in its engine than actual fluids. Somehow Seth produced local currency and they loaded up the Jeep with gas and supplies.

—

The sun was a fiery orange, spreading fingers of red and yellow streaking across the sky. Low mountains in the distance shimmered in the evening air while buzzing crickets and beetles began their nightly activities. Warren took one more sip of water before sadly watching the last drop fall onto his cracked lips. Groaning he rasped, "If we don't find some kind of water soon I think I'm gonna just wither away." "It'll be fine," Seth replied as he repacked a bag. "We're almost there, just another couple miles and you'll have your water."

"Pfff." Came a condescending huff. "We've been driving for days now with nothing but sand and bones for miles. How do we know you're even heading in the right direction?" Bracken muttered loudly. Seth sighed and looked at him wearily. "Can't you feel it? The very air is thick with magic, its pulling us towards its source." Standing up he pointed at the dunes around them. "Notice their shape, their form. Its subtle but you can see the effect the tree has had. The sand moves and flows like roots, twisting towards the tree. Once you see the path its hard to stray from it."

Bending over he snatched the backpack up and swung it onto his shoulder. "Believe me or not you're already here. Unless you know your way around this desert I'm your best bet at staying alive right now. Your choice." Warren could feel the tension rising again. This had been the whole trip so far. Sure he wasn't entirely certain what was going on but jeez, Bracken was being a jerk. The two stared hard at each other, neither giving in. Eventually Seth turned away and headed to the Jeep. Kendra sighed and stood to follow. She had started the trip peppering Seth with questions and telling stories about home. Eventually exhaustion set in and she fell quiet, simply following her brother.

Begrudgingly Bracken followed suit and they took off again. Driving along Warren felt his eyes grow heavy. Settling back he fell into a sweaty, tired sleep.

BOOM! A massive explosion woke Kendra from her restless nap. As soon as they had taken off again she and Warren had fallen asleep. Man she was exhausted. Whap, whap, whap, whap! The sounds of metal hitting metal very quickly reminded her of why she had woken up. The sky was dark with clouds and night, the only light coming from the headlights of their vehicle and from somewhere behind them. Seth was driving incredibly fast, Warren was leaning out the window and Bracken was shaking her. "You're awake!" He shouted. Another loud explosion rocked the Jeep and Warren shouted, pulling himself back in. Kendra saw blood running down his face. "What's happening?" She asked anxiously.

Bracken slammed her head down as more bullets shot through the back window. "We're under attack." He replied, holding her down. Seth grunted and swerved the Jeep. "It's the Circle!" He yelled. "They've finally caught up to us!" The Jeep jumped off a hill and hit the ground. More bullets shot past them. "What do we do?" Warren questioned as the Jeep jerked again. Seth slammed the gearshift and swung around a pile of rocks. "Take the wheel for me!" He shouted back. He let go of the wheel and Warren quickly shifted to grab it. With some pretty impressive timing and flexibility the two switched spots.

Seth crouched on the passenger seat and opened the skylight. "Warren I need you to keep heading for the middle of those two rock spires up there. Kendra see if you can help him. Bracken I'm gonna need you to open the trunk door and try to distract the drivers." Another round of bullets pelted the Jeep. Warren jerked the car to avoid them. Taking a breath Bracken nodded at Seth and pulled out his horn. Seth quickly climbed out and up. Kendra jumped forward into the passenger seat as Bracken climbed over the back. Ducking down to avoid the next flurry of bullets he kick the back open and aimed his horn. A flash of bright light lit up the sky.

Kendra glanced back and saw a dark shape leap onto the closest vehicle. Bracken's distraction had worked and the three vehicles attacking them had fallen back a bit. An explosion erupted from the first vehicle and the shape jumped from the first onto the next. From the light of the fire she saw two black things spin out from her brother's shape and slice through the third vehicle, cutting its tires and causing it to turn and flip over. The last car swerved and jerked, trying to shake off its passenger.

The Jeep caught on the sand as the ground suddenly changed to hard flat earth. Warren aimed the vehicle at two tall spiraling rock shapes far in the distance. The air filled with light, a spotlight aimed directly at them. Shielding her eyes Kendra looked up to see a large military style helicopter easily keeping pace with them. The light stayed on them for a moment before it turned to follow the last car. A shape leaned out of the helicopter and fired off a series of shots, aiming at the car.

"They're firing at their own people!" She gasped. The black car tried to avoid its fate but it soon lost control and hit a rock, flipping forward. "No!" She shouted. Where was Seth? Where was her brother? With a flurry of wind she was distracted as the helicopter suddenly moved forward and hovered directly in front of the the Jeep. Another spotlight hit them from behind. With a curse Warren slammed on the brakes. Several figures jumped off the first copter and headed towards them, each holding a rifle. Kendra's heart pounded along to the thrum of the Jeep's engine and the swirling of the sand.

"Get out with your hands up!" A voice commanded. Kendra looked at Warren, waiting for his response. He didn't move, one hand on the gearshift the other on the wheel. "Now. Before we shoot!" Warren's hand slowly shifted the car into reverse. Kendra tightened her grip on the dashboard and reached back for her husband's hand. Before they could attempt a completely idiotic plan a shout echoed out behind them. Glancing in the side mirror she watched the dark shape leap impossibly far and grab the second helicopter's landing bar and drag the gunman off. He fell screaming to the earth. The copter lifted higher and spun as chaos ensued.

With that distraction Warren quickly reversed the car and looped around the figures. They immediately began firing, this time with luck. The Jeep swerved out of control and tipped onto its side, sliding a few feet. Kendra coughed and groaned, watching through blurry eyes as the figures ran towards them. "Warren!" She cried, seeing her cousin slumped over and not moving. Struggling to remove her seatbelt she watched with panic as they surrounded the vehicle. "Bracken?" She whispered. Nothing. "Get out now! We won't ask again!" She frantically tried to think but nothing came to mind. Giving in she replied, "I can't, I'm stuck."

Warren's door was slammed open and a flashlight beamed down. "We'll get him out first and then you. Don't try anything funny. We have your friend." She nodded. Using a knife they cut Warren's seat belt and pulled him out. The figure came back and reached his hand in holding a knife. He cut her belt too and then helped her out. She was tied up and the man, she could now see he was human, walked her towards the helicopter. Others carried Warren and searched the Jeep. Nearing the copter she saw Bracken tied up and gagged, staring at her anxiously. She was forced to her knees beside him, Warren was dumped next to her already bound. She couldn't tell if he was breathing but she could see the blood oozing from a spot in his back.

The man stepped in front of her, gun hanging loosely in his arm. "Now you're gonna come with us little missy or my men here will shoot your friends... again." "What do you want with me?" She asked. "Ah that's for my betters to say not me. Now get in." He grabbed her arm and hoisted her up painfully. Another figure came running up. "Sir we've lost track of air 2." This time it was a feminine voice. "The coms are all dead and visual was lost after it spun away." The leader grunted, "Any sign of what took it down?" "Yes sir...it's Him." A long pause. "Soldier get these two on the copter and take off now. High alert and shoot anything that moves. Use the level 10 rounds." "Understood sir."

Everyone shot into motion. Warren and Bracken were loaded up and the copter took off, hovering in the sky high above them. Figures jumped into position, surrounding her and the leader with guns pointing out. Sand whipped around until everything went still. No one moved, Kendra was held in the man's arm with a small crossbow in the other. Moments ticked by. The darkness pressed in all around, broken only by small lasers on the ends of their guns.

The sounds of the chopper faded, then returned with vigor. Over the leader's com came a crackle. "Soldier! Why aren't you following orders? I said get the prisoners out of here!" A staticky voice replied, "Sorry sir, there seems to be a problem with your orders." "And what would that be?" He shouted with force. "Well you told your soldiers to to fly these prisoners out of here? I'm afraid they all went unconscious before doing that." The leader gurgled, his eyes wide and unsure of how to respond. "So I just thought I'd return them for you." The helicopter dipped low and four bodies tied to a rope were flung out the side. They dangled like limp chickens just out of reach. Another voice spoke through the radio, Kendra hid her smile when she recognized Bracken. "You can have your men back when you give me my wife back."

At this the leader laughed, "I'll give this little prize back when you hand over the Demon's cold, dead body!" Silence. "What you don't like my terms? How about you come down here and we'll settle this like old times Seth." The helicopter jerked higher and a low voice spoke. "You sure you want to go there Dent? Been a long time since we sparred." Dent threw Kendra to a few soldiers who grabbed her and retreated a safe distance. "Oh I think I do Seth. I've been itching for a long time for this, learned a few new tricks too. You want the girl? Come and get her." He threw the radio down and readied his gun.

"Well alright then." Came Seth's voice directly behind them. Kendra jerked her head and Dent spun in confusion. Aiming his gun he fired rapidly at Seth. Dodging expertly Seth ran towards the leader, arms held back and leaning low. A few steps and a jump, Seth threw his arm forward and a black shape whipped towards the target. Dent blocked with his gun and the sound of metal on metal screeched in the air. Landing Seth moved his arm back and the black shape, which now could be seen as some kind of flying metal sword thing, moved with it.

Dent, throwing his gun, pulled out two long curved blades and the real fight began. Dust flew around the pair, distorting Kendra's view. Glimpses of the fight were seen as Seth and whoever the Dent guy was danced to the death on a whole different level. There was Dent throwing a deadly blow. Seth jumping around his target. Metal flashing, grunts and shouts ringing. What was happening? Who was winning?

Amid the chaos a body flew out and slammed heavily into the rocks. The soldiers, seeing it was their leader, tensed and shouted. Taking advantage of their distraction Kendra stomped on the left one's foot and smashed her head into the right one's face as he turned to look. The two tumbled back and Kendra broke free, running towards the fight. Shouts behind her indicated their swift recovery. Watching as Seth stepped from the dust cloud she shouted his name. His head turned and she saw something in his eyes, something dark and terrifying, but he blinked and it was gone. Nodding he gestured to keep running. She passed him and heard two shouts of pain but kept running.

Seth quickly caught up holding the fallen radio. Kendra panted, her weary legs struggling to keep balance on the rocky ground. More than once she tripped but a strong hand always pulled her up and they kept running. Towards the rocky pillars they went, the helicopter turning to follow. Seth spoke quickly into the radio, listened to the reply and spoke again. The chopper flew past them and dipped dangerously low to the ground. Seth grabbed Kendra around the waist and before she could breath jumped into the air.

She gasped as her brother expertly aimed for the open door and deposited her on the floor before shutting it behind him. Catching her breath Kendra noticed Warren strapped to a seat and looking rather pale. Bandages had been hastily bundled across his left shoulder and his forehead. Still unconscious his head lolled from the motions of the helicopter. Leaning into the front Seth spoke into a headset. Kendra could see Bracken struggling to use the controls but somehow keeping them on a straight course. From below came the sounds of more gunshots. Kendra quickly sat next to Warren and fastened her seat belt. Seth came back and peered questionly into her eyes. Nodding that she was alright she watched as he pushed back her hair a drew something on her brow that felt liquidy. Repeating his motions on Warren's face she saw it was some kind of dark liquid dripping from his fingers. The copter jumped as something hit the bottom. Kendra clenched her teeth, fear coursing through her. Why were these people so intent on getting her?

Her brother jumped into the front seat and strapped himself down. The pillars drew closer. It was a race now. A race of time and death. Kendra gripped her wounded cousin's hand and closed her eyes. More gunshots, more jerking in the air, until a final horrid screech of metal grinding and sliding against another hard surface. The jerking became worse, almost like they were tumbling and falling through the air. The steady whap of the chopper blades turn to terrible clangs and thumps. Keeping her eyes closed she wasn't even sure which way could've been up. A last groan of metal and then silence.

Kendra's entire body pulsed with pain. Bruises were forming where the straps were cutting into her and her head was pounding from the motions. Breathing in deeply she coughed as dust filled her lungs. Cracking open her eyes she gasped. The copter was on it's side and severely beat up. Cracks ran along the sides into the windows which were blown out. The entire top had been ripped off and the bottom was twisted out. A movement caught her attention. Her brother and Bracken were groaning as they slowly sat up and wearily peered around. "Hey guys." She coughed out. "Are you okay?" "I think so." Bracken gasped as he undid his strap and slid a bit. Turning he made his way over to her. "Are you okay?" He asked. She nodded and smiled, glad he was alive. Helping her out of her harness Bracken eased her to the wall that was now the floor.

Seth climbed back and helped lay Warren down. Working together they managed to escape the wreckage through the hole in the top. They were in some sort of narrow cave that continued past into the darkness that Kendra couldn't penetrate. The walls looked wet and shiny with colorful streaks running horizontal. Behind them was a solid stone wall. Helping the others salvage what they could Kendra packed a bag she found of food and medical supplies. Everything they brought with them was back in the Jeep. During this Bracken remained silent. Watching her husband Kendra worried, he had gone through a lot in this little bit, she couldn't imagine how he was feeling.

Sighing she turned back to Warren. Using her magic she managed to stop the bleeding and seal the hole. His eyelids fluttered and he coughed hoarsely. "What happened?" He asked weakly. Tying up the sling she smiled to reassure him. "You took a bullet and passed out." He swallowed and nodded. "Thought that's what it felt like. Where are we now?" Seth trotted over and dropped the bags. "We made it into the portal." He smiled. "Welcome to the rainbow road."


End file.
